Legal spend MHCLG

The request was partially successful.

Dear Government Legal Department,

I am interested in the relationship between the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and its legal service. I request the following documents and information :

1. The cost of the Government Legal Department providing legal services to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (CLG) in this fiscal year and the previous fiscal year. In providing this information please provide the allocated budget and any agreement / service level agreement in place. Where the information is available please break down the figure between the fee to the Government Legal Department and disbursements.

2. How many lawyers provide services to the CLG from the Government Legal Department?

3. How many of those lawyers providing services to CLG are employed by the Civil Service? For each of these please identify their grade. Please identify the total number paid above their grade band, whether this is through marking time or otherwise.

4. How many lawyers providing services to CLG through GLD are not actual employees of the civil service, for instance they are employed as consultants, seconded or a fee is paid to a recruitment agency? For each such person please identify the cost per month paid for their services and the length of the contract.

5. How many contracts for the services of external law firms has the CLG or the Government Legal Department acting on their behalf let since 1.5.2018?

6. For each external firm procurement since 1.5.2018 please provide:

a. the email or document detailing the services required;

b. the list of law firms to whom the opportunity to tender was made available;

c. a copy of each response provided by the law firms.

d. the scores and feedback provided to each law firm.

e. the winning bidder’s identity and letter / email informing them that they had been selected.

f. the fee quoted for the work and the actual fees paid since 1.5.2018 for the services.

Where the first is lower than the second please provide any available information or documents on how this is compliant with public procurement law and does not provide an undue benefit.

g. the date of each meeting with the law firm providing the services

7. What was the total number of CLG lawyers on 1.1.2018 and 1.10.2018?

Please be aware that I have made a very similar request to CLG in the hope you will work together to provide the information and provide identical returns (this website didn’t allow me to make a joint request).

Yours faithfully,

Garry Champion

FOI, Government Legal Department

Our Ref: RM/91/18

Dear Mr Champion

I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 22 October 2018. I will respond to your correspondence shortly.

Yours sincerely

Paul Woods
Data Protection Co-ordinator & Freedom of Information Officer

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FOI, Government Legal Department

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Champion,

Please find attached the response to your Freedom of Information Act request.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Woods
DPO, DRO FOI/DPA co-ordinator, Head of Library Services
Operations, Government Legal Department

One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4TS
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7210 3045
[Government Legal Department request email]

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Dear Government Legal Department,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Government Legal Department's handling of my FOI request 'Legal spend MHCLG'.

Outstanding questions on law firms being brought into work where this Government Legal Department operates “on behalf of” the Department for Communities and Local Government, including identity and spend. Likewise specific question on external employment contracts not answered.

No legitimate reason to fail to provide information within statutory deadline. Please meet statutory obligation.

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

Yours faithfully,

Garry Champion

FOI, Government Legal Department

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Champion

Thank you for your e-mail. I am not quite clear on what grounds you are requesting an internal review of the attached response. In your original request (attached), there is no reference to 'external employment contracts'

The response containing information you requested was sent to you within the statutory deadline.

I would be grateful for any clarification you can provide.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Paul Woods
DPO, DRO FOI/DPA co-ordinator, Head of Library Services
Operations, Government Legal Department

One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4TS
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7210 3045
[Government Legal Department request email]

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