Our Ref: 8005  

Dear Enquirer,

INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your request for information which will be dealt with under
the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental
Information Regulations 2004.

In some circumstances a fee may be payable and if that is the case, we
will let you know the likely charges before proceeding.

If you have any queries about this matter please contact us. Please
remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Please note, that due to the recent outbreak of Covid-19, there may be a
delay in responding to your request. We appreciate your patience at this
busy period.

Kind regards

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

Our Ref: 8005   

Dear Enquirer,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

I refer to your Freedom of Information request in relation to public
health funerals. 

Right of Access

Section 1(1) of the Act provides any person making a request for
information to a public authority is entitled.

(a) to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds
information of the description specified in the request (which Section
1(6) of the Act designates as the "duty to confirm or deny"), and

(b) if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.

The right is to obtain access to the information itself and not to the
document or record which contains it.

The Act creates a general right of access to information held by public
authorities subject to various exemptions.

Northumberland County Council confirms that it holds the information you
have requested, please see the below response. 

 Q.1 How many public health funerals has the council carried out in each
month of the 2020/21 financial year, to date?
This information is already in the public domain / will be in the public
domain in future. This is therefore refused under the FOI Act. Please see
guidance below. 
Q.2 How much has the council spent on carrying out public health funerals
in each month of the 2020/21 financial year, to date?
We do not hold a monthly breakdown, but the total for this financial year
2020/21 so far is £32,300.
Q.3 How many public health funerals did the council carry out in each
month of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years?
This information is already in the public domain. This is therefore
refused under the FOI Act. Please see guidance below. 
Q.4 How much did the council spend carrying out public health funerals in
each month of the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years?
We do not hold a monthly breakdown, but the total for each financial year
is:-

2018/19          £62,000

2019/20          £51,300
 

Exemptions

The Freedom of Information Act sets out various exemptions to the right of
access. In the present case the County Council takes the view that the
information relating to your request is exempt under the following
provisions; 

Section 21 Accessible by other means 

Section 21 of the Act states that a public Authority does not need to
provide information under section 1 of the Act if that information is
reasonably accessible to the applicant by other means.  

Section 22 Information intended for future publication 

(1) Information is exempt information if— 

(a)the information is held by the public authority with a view to its
publication, by the authority or any other person, at some future date
(whether determined or not), 

The information can be found here: 

[1]https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Regist...

Notice of Refusal  

Please treat this letter as a Notice of Refusal as regards the information
covered by the following exemptions; Section 21 and Section 22(1)(a.

Public Interest test 

Section 22(1)(a) is a qualified exemptions which means that the
information falling within each exemption still has be released unless the
public interest in disclosure is outweighed by the public interest in
maintaining the exemption.  

Public Interest Test for Section 22(1)(a): 

Northumberland County Council recognises that there is a general public
interest in information held by public authorities being made available
and that it should take place at the earliest appropriate time. This helps
towards ensuring the public accountability and transparency of public
authorities and promotes public engagement in any debate about the
delivery of public services and the use of public funds. However, the
public interest can sometimes be best served by the planned publication of
information at an appropriate time rather than in response to an
individual request for that information ahead of that time. On balance,
and in all the circumstances of this particular case, we have concluded
that the public interest is best served by the planned future publication
of the information you have requested and by maintaining the exemption at
section 22(1)(a) at this time. 

Complaints

If you are unhappy with the way your request for information has been
handled, you can request an internal review by writing within 2 months
from the date of this response to the Information Governance Office:

Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF

Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]

Information Commissioner

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have a
right by Section 50 of the Act to apply to the Information Commissioner
for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in
accordance with the requirements of the Act at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113
Email: [email address]

There is no charge for making an appeal.

Yours faithfully

FOI Coordinator 
Information Governance Office
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF

Tel: 0345 600 6400
Email: [Northumberland County Council request email]
Web: http://www.northumberland.gov.uk

References

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