Room 405
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
70 Whitehall
www.cabinet office.gov.uk
London, SW1A 2AS
Zoe O'Connel
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
FOI Reference: FOI2020/07374
30/06/2020
Dear Zoe O'Connel
I refer to your request where you asked:
“a) The most recent organisation chart (organogram) for the Government Equalities
Office
b) The FOI log for the Government Equalities Office for the last 12 months
c) A list of al organisations that Liz Truss has met with in her capacity as Minister for
Women and Equalities.”
In response to your request,
Point a) The most recent organogram for the Government Equalities Office is attached.
Please note that some of the information you have requested is being withheld because
it is exempt under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 40(2)
exempts personal information from disclosure if that information relates to someone
other than the applicant, and if disclosure of that information would, amongst other
things, contravene one of the data protection principles in schedule 1 of the Data
Protection Act. In this case, I believe disclosure would contravene the first data
protection principle, which provides that personal data must be processed fairly and
lawful y. Section 40(2) is an absolute exemption and the Cabinet Office is not obliged to
consider whether the public interest favours disclosing the information.
Point b) For the purposes of FOIA, the Government Equalities Office is part of the
Cabinet Office and therefore a separate FOI log does not exist.
Point c)
I must inform you that the Cabinet Office is unable to comply with your request. Section
12 of the Freedom of Information Act relieves public authorities of the duty to comply
with a request for information if the cost of dealing with it would exceed the appropriate
limit. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for central Government
this is set at £600. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 31⁄2
working days in determining whether the Department holds the information, and
locating, retrieving and extracting it.
The reason that your request exceeds the cost limit is that the time period of your
request is very broad and unspecified. It would take a significant period of staff time to
compile such a list from the Secretary of State’s diary. If you wish, you may refine your
request in order to bring the cost of locating, retrieving and extracting the information
you require below the appropriate limit. The period covered by your request is very
long
(you did not provide one) and one way to refine it would be to narrow the period it
covers.
I must also inform you that if the Cabinet Office does hold any information
relevant to a refined request it may be subject to one or more of the exemptions
contained in the Freedom of Information Act. If you have any queries about this letter, please contact the FOI Team quoting the
reference number above.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request or wish
to request an internal review, you should write to:
Eirian Walsh Atkins
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
email: xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
You should note that the Cabinet Office wil not normal y accept an application for
internal review if it is received more than two months after the date that the reply was
issued. If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. General y, the Commissioner
cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided
by Cabinet Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
Cabinet Office