Uniformity of Standards across the UK

AIDAN QUINN made this Freedom of Information request to Welsh Government This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear Welsh Government,

Sorry for disturbing you.

I had hoped that Cabinet Office would have readily been able to confirm that the Scottish and Welsh Governments were entirely unaffected by the Equality/Bullying/Integrity/ Mental Health/ Disengagement/ Absenteeism issues long, sadly, affecting Stormont.

Sadly Cabinet Office have declined to do so. No one judges.

In the circumstances however, I have therefore reluctantly had to ask each of you separately if there any record of staff in Cardiff or in Edinburgh being sacked on the basis of an adverse author disowned report, especially a report showing heavy signs of tampering?
Do such things happen in Cardiff/ Edinburgh?

An early reply, a simple Yes/No would be greatly appreciated, and once again my apologies for having to ask.

Yours faithfully,

AIDAN QUINN

Dear Welsh Government,
It has been pointed out to me that my request could have been clearer. I will do my best to clarify.

My question refers to the sorry topic of staff sackings following adverse Performance Appraisal Reports.(PARs)

In N Ireland, such sackings proceed despite the PAR in question being described as indefensible by the person who has signed it, and despite the PAR in question showing unexplained signs of tampering. Requests for forensic testing of such a PAR is not permitted and all communication, not just on the PAR in question, but on all issues relating to this PAR is, in perpetuity , banned.

Investors (in eg the much troubled Capita) automatically assume that similar ethical standards apply through the UK and I would like to be in a position to assure Capita that this is not the case. Your help, in clarifying whether or not author disowned reports stand in Wales, and whether or not forensic testing of disowned reports is permitted, would be greatly appreciated.

An FOI request made to the Cabinet Office, via the What do They Know website, entitled
“Problems with Author Disowned Sacking Reports - Uniformity of Standards across the UK”, copy attached below, and dated 29/1/18 refers.

Cabinet Office felt unable to provide the necessary assurance, so the FOI Request was withdrawn. Hence the current FOI Request to both the Welsh and Scottish Governments directly.

"Delivered

Dear Cabinet Office,
NICS as we know has long had huge problems with its credibility, with issues like the hugely negative sacking report that is described, even by its own author, as indefensible.
I could of course be wrong but the thing is you see that, so far as I can to date establish, there is, even on a world wide basis, no precedent ( outside NICS) for an author disowned report of any kind, let alone a sacking report, standing.
I am trying, totally non-judgementally, to collect data on this and wondered as FOI Query if the Cabinet Office had any record of staff in London, in Cardiff or in Edinburgh being sacked on the basis of an author disowned report, especially a report showing heavy signs of tampering?
Any data or statistics the Cabinet Office could provide to clarify this point would be greatly appreciated, might help set a lot of people’s minds at rest.
The timely provision of data and statistics on this topic would help clear things up, would be an example of FOI legislation working as it should. Good Luck.
Yours faithfully,
AIDAN QUINN”

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Good Luck. Best Wishes.

Yours faithfully,

AIDAN QUINN

Welsh Government

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Quinn,

Further to your recent request for information , please find attached a final disclosure letter sent on behalf of Gina Older .

Yours Sincerely

Margaret Lock
Secretariat Manager / Rheolwr Ysgrifenyddiaeth Adran Gwasanaeth Busnes Busnes, Eiddo a Gwasanaethau Proffesiynol (BEGP)/Business, Property and Professional Services Division (BPPS)Swyddfa’r Prif Weinidog a Swyddfa’r Cabinet/Office of the First Minister and Cabinet Office
Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government
Email/Ebost:Margaret.Lock@gov.wales
iShare user / defnyddiwr iShare

Wrth adael Llywodraeth Cymru sganiwyd y neges yma am bob feirws. Mae’n bosibl y bydd gohebiaeth gyda Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael ei logio, ei monitro ac/neu ei chofnodi yn awtomatig am resymau cyfreithiol. Rydym yn croesawu derbyn gohebiaeth yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ateb gohebiaeth a dderbynnir yn Gymraeg yn Gymraeg ac ni fydd gohebu yn Gymraeg yn arwain at oedi. On leaving the Welsh Government this email was scanned for all known viruses. Communications with Welsh Government may be automatically logged, monitored and/or recorded for legal purposes. We welcome receiving correspondence in Welsh. Any correspondence received in Welsh will be answered in Welsh and corresponding in Welsh will not lead to a delay in responding.

Dear Welsh Government,

Thank you. Your reply is most clear, most helpful, most satisfactory, and most reassuring to all, from every point of view.

Good Luck, I wish you well.

Yours faithfully,

AIDAN QUINN