Government study on the effects of brexit on the NHS
Dear Department of Health,
I understand from numerous articles in the UK national media that a number of studies (50 in total) have been undertaken in to the effects of Brexit on a number of UK institutions including the NHS. It is then clear that the Secretary of State for Health and senior civil servants in your department have possession of these documents.
As these documents have been paid fro with 'tax payers' money it is then my right as a tax payer to view the said documents that I have paid for and so that I can understand the consequences of the contents on my future health and use of the NHS.
Whilst I understand that you may wish to refuse this request for a number of reasons I would note that providing me with the said document(s) either through posting on this FOI portal or through publication on your own website will mean that you will not be able to cite 'FOIA Section 12 Exemption' as it will neither exceed the time or the cost.
I wold also note that the information is not confidential, it is a matter of public record and concern and in law my rights under the Convention of Human Rights to know how my health may be effected by the state.
To conclude, I am requesting the following - all documents between 1st May 2015 and the 31st August 2017 with regards to effects of Brexit on the NHS services in the UK.
Yours faithfully,
Tracey Simpson-Laing
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Dear Ms Simpson-Laing
Please find attached the Department of Health's response to your recent
FOI request (our ref: 1096579 )
Yours sincerely,
Dorothy Crowe
Freedom of Information team
Department of Health
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Dear Department of Health and Dorothy
You asked me to clarify the following:
So that I can provide you with the right information, please can you clarify which documents
you are referring to, because it is not clear to us what these 50 studies are, nor is it clear to
us who/which Department they were commissioned by? If you are able to give us more
specific details of these studies and documents, then we may be able to continue to process
your request. However, please be aware that we cannot guarantee at this stage that a
clarified request will fall within the FOIA cost limit, or that other exemptions will not apply.
As you will note from the below link I am referring to:
'Brexit minister David Jones confirmed in a letter that the Department for Exiting the European Union had “conducted analysis of over 50 sector of the economy”.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/pol...
I would note that these studied have been paid for by my taxes and the contents of the report could lead to a detriment effect to my health. To continue to deny access to the public is withholding information.
Yours faithfully,
Tracey Simpson-Laing
Thank you for contacting the Department of Health. Please note that
queries are only monitored between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. This is
an acknowledgement - please do not reply to this email.
If you require medical treatment please dial 111, visit [1]NHS Choices, or
contact your GP surgery. For emergencies please dial 999. The Department
cannot provide clinical advice.
Where a reply is appropriate, we aim to respond within 18 working days, or
20 working days if your query is a Freedom of Information request or
complaint.
If you have contacted the Department of Health about a current health or
social care campaign, please visit the [2]Gov.uk where a response may have
been published. You may also find it helpful to refer to the Department
of Health's [3]what we do section.
Please note that the Department of Health does not handle complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [4]complaints procedure page on Gov.uk.
You can find out more about the Department’s commitments from
our [5]Personal Information Charter.
Incoming and outgoing e-mail messages are routinely monitored for
compliance with the Department of Health's policy on the use of electronic
communications. For more information on the Department of Health's e-mail
policy click here http://www.dh.gov.uk/terms
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certified virus free.
Communications may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for
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References
Visible links
1. http://www.nhs.uk/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/announceme...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
5. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
Dear Ms Simpson-Laing
Please find attached the Department of Health's response to your recent
FOI request (our ref: 1100307 )
Yours sincerely,
Dorothy Crowe
Freedom of Information team
Department of Health
-------------------------------------------------------------
Please do not reply to this email. To contact the Department of Health,
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Dear Department of Health,
I am requesting an internal review as I am not satisfied with the handling of my request - reports in the media have been very clear that each department minster has been briefed on the documents; your reply is just a deflection to seek time.
I will also be taking up this issue with the ICO.
Yours faithfully,
Tracey Simpson-Laing
Dear Ms Simpson-Laing,
You internal review request was previously allocated to a colleague but due to staffing issues has been escalated to me to complete. I will aim to do so within 20 working days.
I apologise for the delay incurred to date in dealing with your request.
Kind regards,
James
James Shewbridge
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health
39 Victoria St
London SW1H 0EU
Dear James,
I look forward to your reply by the 6th January 2018
Yours sincerely,
Tracey Simpson-Laing
Dear James,
Whilst I appreciated your reply on the 6th December, the 20 days has now passed.
As you are aware by law, you must respond “promptly” to requests, yet since my original request all I have receive are deflections to cover that fact the Secretary of State for Brexit has been untruthful not only to Committee but also the House and so is in breach of Parliamentary conduct.
It is clear that all departments have undertaken research on the effect of Brexit and the consequences that will be inflicted, illegally, upon myself and others. I thus have a legal right, which falls under the Human Rights Legislation, to know how my health will be effected by Brexit .
I understand, as the law states, that I should have by now received a 'factual' and 'detailed' response including copies of all documents relating to the effects of Brexit on the NHS.
If I not receive a respond within the next 10 working days I will refer my request to the ICO. In the meantime I am requesting another internal review.
Yours sincerely,
Tracey Simpson-Laing
Dear Ms Simpson-Laing,
Our response to your request for an internal review is currently with officials for clearance. As soon as I have received this, I will forward the response.
I apologise for the further delay.
Kind regards,
James
Dear Ms Simpson-Laing,
I apologise for the length of time it has taken to carry out your
requested Internal Review of FOI-1100307.
The review is now complete. Please see the attached letter for the
outcome.
Kind regards,
James
James Shewbridge
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria St
London SW1H 0EU
E: [1][email address] T: 020 7210 5724
[2]cid:image004.png@01D37345.D9FFE440
Quick confidential first-line support and information - feel free
to get in touch with me.
Incoming and outgoing e-mail messages are routinely monitored for
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communications. For more information on the Department of Health's e-mail
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Tracey Simpson-Laing left an annotation ()
Amazing.
It has taken a MONTH just to rely to the request for internal review due to workloads.