Distribution Centres and Mask Wearing

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

Given according to a previous information request on this showed 0 inspections of Distribution Centres for compliance with mask wearing which was made a legal requirement in November 2020 please could you tell me:

1) Do all / some of the 25 Distribution Centres fall under the responsibilities of the Council as the HSE said it does?

2) If not all then how many?

3) Which Council department would be responsible for carrying out inspections of these facilities for compliance with both Health & Safety and more recent compliance with legal mask wearing legislation?

4) How many inspections of Distribution centres has this team / department carried out on any Distribution Centres, for any reason, in the past 5 years?

Yours faithfully,

Primrose Jones

Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

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Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Civic Offices

London Road

Basingstoke

Hampshire

RG21 4AH

United Kingdom

 

Tel: +44 (0)1256 844844

Fax: +44 (0)1256 845200

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Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
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Freedom of Information, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Dear Primrose,

 

Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

 

Your request has been passed to me to process and I can confirm that it
has been logged under the reference number 163/21.

 

The council may take upto 20 working days, from the date of receipt, to
respond to your request. Unfortunately due to the current Coronavirus
Pandemic council resources are focused on providing key services and
supporting our residents.  While we will make every effort to respond to
your request on time, a delay may be unavoidable.   We will contact you
again to provide an update.

 

If you require further information please contact me by phone on
01256845663 or by emailing [1][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email].

 

For your information, we are publishing FOI requests and responses on the
council's website [2]www.basingstoke.gov.uk so the response to this
request may be published at a later date.

 

Thank you for your patience at this time.

 

Kind regards

 

Jack Reynolds

 

Shared Legal Services

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

and Hart District Council

Tel (Direct): 01256 845485

Fax: 01256 845200.

Email: [email address]

[3]www.basingstoke.gov.uk

[4]www.hart.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter [5]@BasingstokeGov

 

Reference: 048838 / 00568789

 

 

 

 

From: Primrose Jones [mailto:[FOI #733123 email]]
Sent: 03 March 2021 15:05
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Distribution Centres and Mask
Wearing

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

Given according to a previous information request on this showed 0
inspections of Distribution Centres for compliance with mask wearing which
was made a legal requirement in November 2020 please could you tell me:

1) Do all / some of the 25 Distribution Centres fall under the
responsibilities of the Council as the HSE said it does?

2) If not all then how many?

3) Which Council department would be responsible for carrying out
inspections of these facilities for compliance with both Health & Safety
and more recent compliance with legal mask wearing legislation?

4) How many inspections of Distribution centres has this team / department
carried out on any Distribution Centres, for any reason, in the past 5
years?

Yours faithfully,

Primrose Jones

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[6][FOI #733123 email]

Is [7][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

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

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

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [11]privacy statement

show quoted sections

Jack Reynolds, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Dear Primrose,

 

Further to your recent request made under the Freedom of Information Act
2000, we confirm we do hold the information requested. Please find this
information below:-

 

Given according to a previous information request on this showed 0
inspections of Distribution Centres for compliance with mask wearing which
was made a legal requirement in November 2020 please could you tell me:

1) Do all / some of the 25 Distribution Centres fall under the
responsibilities of the Council as the HSE said it does? - The Local
Authority is responsible for enforcing the Health and Safety at Work etc.
Act 1974 and associated statutory provisions in all retail distribution
centres.

2) If not all then how many? - Please see the response above.
3) Which Council department would be responsible for carrying out
inspections of these facilities for compliance with both Health & Safety
and more recent compliance with legal mask wearing legislation? - Please
see the response above. Please note that inspection activity is directed
by guidance issued to local authorities by HSE. Local Authorities are not
directed currently to undertake generalised compliance inspections of
these types of premises. As previously explained the Police are
responsible for enforcing the mask wearing legislation, not the Local
Authority. As far as we understand there is no mandate for them to
proactively inspect unless they have received complaints.

4) How many inspections of Distribution centres has this team / department
carried out on any Distribution Centres, for any reason, in the past 5
years? – 0.

If you are unhappy with the handling of your request, you have the right
to request an internal review within 40 days of our initial response and
please note that we are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this
date.

 

If you wish to request an internal review please write to:

 

The Data Protection Officer, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Civic
Offices, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 4AH.

 

Or via email to [1][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

[2]www.ico.org.uk

 

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future
communications.

 

Information released under FOI or EIR will be done so in accordance with
the Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations under the [3]Open
Government Licence. For further information on how these regulations
affect the data you have requested please refer to our Re-use of Public
Information Regulations Webpage on the link below:

[4]Re-Use of Public Sector Information

For your information, we are publishing FOI requests and responses on the
council’s website so the response to this request may be published at a
later date.  To view published responses please follow the link below:

 

[5]FOI Disclosure Log

Yours sincerely

 

Jack Reynolds

 

Shared Legal Services

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

and Hart District Council

Tel (Direct): 01256 845485

Fax: 01256 845200.

Email: [email address]

[6]www.basingstoke.gov.uk

[7]www.hart.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter [8]@BasingstokeGov

 

Reference: 048838 / 00573216

 

 

 

 

From: Primrose Jones [mailto:[FOI #733123 email]]
Sent: 03 March 2021 15:05
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Distribution Centres and Mask
Wearing

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

Given according to a previous information request on this showed 0
inspections of Distribution Centres for compliance with mask wearing which
was made a legal requirement in November 2020 please could you tell me:

1) Do all / some of the 25 Distribution Centres fall under the
responsibilities of the Council as the HSE said it does?

2) If not all then how many?

3) Which Council department would be responsible for carrying out
inspections of these facilities for compliance with both Health & Safety
and more recent compliance with legal mask wearing legislation?

4) How many inspections of Distribution centres has this team / department
carried out on any Distribution Centres, for any reason, in the past 5
years?

Yours faithfully,

Primrose Jones

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[9][FOI #733123 email]

Is [10][Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council? If so, please contact
us using this form:
[11]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

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

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

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [14]privacy statement

show quoted sections

Dear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Distribution Centres and Mask Wearing'. This is because mask wearing in Distribution Centres has been mandatory since November 2020.

At the (Basingstoke area) Distribution Centre where I work hardly anyone wears a mask - less than 10% of warehouse workers - despite it being a legal requirement. So far the HSE, PHE, Hampshire Police have signposted me to the local Council being responsible for inspection and enforcement and now yourselves are doing nothing to monitor companies compliance despite there being 25 such distribution centres in your Borough.

I feel the answers are unsatisfactory and request a review.

[ GIVE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT HERE ]

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

Yours faithfully,

Primrose Jones

Jack Reynolds, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Dear Ms Jones,

 

Thank you for your email below in which you have requested an internal
review into the council’s handling of your recent Freedom of Information
Request.

 

As the request was considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOI), the internal review will be carried out in accordance with guidance
provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  We will:

·         make a fresh decision based on all the available evidence that
was relevant at the date of the request for information, not just a review
of the first decision;

·         ensure the review is done by someone who did not deal with the
original request, where possible, and preferably by a more senior member
of staff; and

·         communicate the outcome of the review to the applicant within 40
working days of receiving their complaint.

Your request for a review was received on 29/03/2021.  We will, therefore,
carry out the review and respond to you by 25/05/2021.

 

Kind regards

 

Jack Reynolds

 

Shared Legal Services

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

and Hart District Council

Tel (Direct): 01256 845485

Fax: 01256 845200.

Email: [email address]

[1]www.basingstoke.gov.uk

[2]www.hart.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter [3]@BasingstokeGov

 

Reference: 048838 / 00575749

 

 

 

 

From: Primrose Jones [mailto:[FOI #733123 email]]
Sent: 28 March 2021 15:33
To: Freedom of Information <[Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council request email]>
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Distribution
Centres and Mask Wearing

 

**** PLEASE NOTE: This message has originated from a source external to
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council, and has been scanned for viruses.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council reserves the right to store and
monitor e-mails ****

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Basingstoke and Deane
Borough Council's handling of my FOI request 'Distribution Centres and
Mask Wearing'. This is because mask wearing in Distribution Centres has
been mandatory since November 2020.

At the (Basingstoke area) Distribution Centre where I work hardly anyone
wears a mask - less than 10% of warehouse workers - despite it being a
legal requirement. So far the HSE, PHE, Hampshire Police have signposted
me to the local Council being responsible for inspection and enforcement
and now yourselves are doing nothing to monitor companies compliance
despite there being 25 such distribution centres in your Borough.

I feel the answers are unsatisfactory and request a review.

[ GIVE DETAILS ABOUT YOUR COMPLAINT HERE ]

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

Yours faithfully,

Primrose Jones

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[5][FOI #733123 email]

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

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

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Data Protection – personal data you provide to the council will be
processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and
Data Protection Act 2018. For more information on how your information is
used; how we maintain the security of your information and your rights,
including how to access information that we hold on you and how to
complain if you have any concerns about how your personal details are
processed, please see our [8]privacy statement

show quoted sections