Are 1p coins produced at a net loss.

Christopher Pepper made this Freedom of Information request to HM Treasury This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Christopher Pepper

Dear Her Majesty’s Treasury,

Request
In the years between 2015 and 2017 (let's say April to April) did it cost more on average to produce the 1 penny coin than it was worth. i.e. for the last 2 years were 1 p coins produced at a net loss.

Reason For Request
The Canadian Penny was withdrawn in 2013 due to it costing more to mint than it was worth. There is public information to show that the US has the same problem of the penny costing more to produce than it is worth.

Therefore I feel it is of great public interest on whether it costs more than 1p to produce a 1p coin? Obviously, exact values can fluctuate and it may be troublesome to release exact figures, hence my specific request above.

Yours faithfully,

Christopher Pepper

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Dear Her Majesty’s Treasury,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Her Majesty’s Treasury's handling of my FOI request 'Are 1p coins produced at a net loss.'.

The request was effectively refused on the basis of section 43, prejudice of commercial interest. This seems to be very much the standard response to any information regarding the cost to produce the 1p coin. Example of the exact same response:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

I was very careful with my request to try and ensure that the information given could not be used for commercial interest. Hence why I asked whether for a certain time period simply "was it produced at a net loss".

I do not care for the exact value as the response seems to assume, I care only for the basic information of whether it is/was produced at a net loss. This is clearly in the public interest and you would have to better explain to me how a simple yes / no answer on the subject could be exploitable from a commercial interest to such an extent that it outweighs the public interest.

I would be perfectly happy to receive information on whether it (and preferably other coins) were *ever* produced at a net loss in the last 10 years, perhaps simply adding the longest period it was a net loss. in the case where it was produced at a loss *last year* is somehow commercially sensitive.

In any sense, I would appreciate more than what feels like a canned response to any attempt to discover whether the 1p is of detriment to this countries economy.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

Yours faithfully,

Christopher Pepper

FOI Requests, HM Treasury

Dear Mr Pepper

Thank you for your Freedom of Information internal review request. I write to confirm receipt of your request and to let you know that it is receiving attention. If you have any enquiries regarding your request do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Unit | Correspondence and Information Rights | HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ www.gov.uk/hm-treasury

Dear Her Majesty’s Treasury,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Her Majesty’s Treasury's handling of my FOI request 'Are 1p coins produced at a net loss.'.

The request was effectively refused on the basis of section 43, prejudice of commercial interest. This seems to be very much the standard response to any information regarding the cost to produce the 1p coin. Example of the exact same response:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

I was very careful with my request to try and ensure that the information given could not be used for commercial interest. Hence why I asked whether for a certain time period simply "was it produced at a net loss".

I do not care for the exact value as the response seems to assume, I care only for the basic information of whether it is/was produced at a net loss. This is clearly in the public interest and you would have to better explain to me how a simple yes / no answer on the subject could be exploitable from a commercial interest to such an extent that it outweighs the public interest.

I would be perfectly happy to receive information on whether it (and preferably other coins) were *ever* produced at a net loss in the last 10 years, perhaps simply adding the longest period it was a net loss. in the case where it was produced at a loss *last year* is somehow commercially sensitive.

In any sense, I would appreciate more than what feels like a canned response to any attempt to discover whether the 1p is of detriment to this countries economy.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

Yours faithfully,

Christopher Pepper

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FOI Requests, HM Treasury

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Pepper

Please find attached a response to your internal review request.

Regards

Information Rights Unit| HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, SW1A 2HQ

Dear Her Majesty’s Treasury,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Her Majesty’s Treasury's handling of my FOI request 'Are 1p coins produced at a net loss.'.

The request was effectively refused on the basis of section 43, prejudice of commercial interest. This seems to be very much the standard response to any information regarding the cost to produce the 1p coin. Example of the exact same response:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/c...

I was very careful with my request to try and ensure that the information given could not be used for commercial interest. Hence why I asked whether for a certain time period simply "was it produced at a net loss".

I do not care for the exact value as the response seems to assume, I care only for the basic information of whether it is/was produced at a net loss. This is clearly in the public interest and you would have to better explain to me how a simple yes / no answer on the subject could be exploitable from a commercial interest to such an extent that it outweighs the public interest.

I would be perfectly happy to receive information on whether it (and preferably other coins) were *ever* produced at a net loss in the last 10 years, perhaps simply adding the longest period it was a net loss. in the case where it was produced at a loss *last year* is somehow commercially sensitive.

In any sense, I would appreciate more than what feels like a canned response to any attempt to discover whether the 1p is of detriment to this countries economy.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/a...

Yours faithfully,

Christopher Pepper

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #426589 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

Christopher Pepper

Dear FOI Requests,
I will be reporting this to the Information Commissioner. As it is quite clear to me that the exception that HMR Treasury is hiding behind is not sufficient in this case. The idea that information of this regard, "was the 1p coin ever produced at a net loss" when given at any point within a reasonable time period of a decade is simply laughable. I sense that really no real time has been spent on this internal review in order to provide me with information, even vague. Instead it feels very much like a blanket response to this request, which frankly is telling in itself.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher Pepper

FOI Requests, HM Treasury

Thank you for your email.  This is an automatic acknowledgement to confirm
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email communications may be monitored to ensure the secure and effective
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Christopher Pepper left an annotation ()

This request was reported to ICO, ICO have contacted to say they are now contacting HMT and will work to find a compromise. I am happy with ICOs plan of action and understanding of the request.

Christopher Pepper left an annotation ()

After lodging a complaint to ICO and waiting a long time, I received a carefully worded reply on the 1st February 2018 . Which stated:

"Following a review, we can confirm, between April 2015 and April 2017, the average cost of a penny did not exceed the face value"