This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Great Western Route Modernisation Benefits Paper - Paper 76/20'.




OFFICIAL 
 
 
Mr Noel Dolphin 
Network Rail  
By email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
 
Freedom of Information 
 
The Quadrant  
 
Elder Gate 
 
Milton Keynes  
 
MK9 1EN 
 
 
 
01908 782405 
 
E xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx  
  
10 February 2021 
  
  
 Dear Mr Dolphin 
Information request  
Reference number: FOI2021/00046 
Thank you for your email of 13 January 2021, in which you requested the following 
recorded information:  
 
At the Network Rail Board meeting held on Thursday 22 October 2020, the meeting 
reviewed Paper 76/20 summarising the post-completion project benefits of Great Western 
Route Modernisation.  
 
Minutes publicly available on Network rail's website: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2020/12/2020-10-22-October-Board-Minutes-for-publication-with-text-
redacted.pdf . 
 
Can I obtain a copy of this board paper presented on the 22nd October 2020: Paper 76/20. 

 
We are processing your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 
(EIR).1  
 
Under regulation 7(1) of the EIRs a public authority may ‘extend the period of 20 working 
days … to 40 working days if it reasonably believes that the complexity and volume of the 
information requested means that it is impracticable either to comply with the request 
within the earlier period or to make a decision to refuse to do so.’  
 
 
1 Section 39 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) exempts environmental information from the FOIA 
and requires us to consider it under the EIR. This type of information is environmental according to the 
definition in regulation 2(c) of the EIRs; this is because the information concerns a measure affecting the 
environment, in this case a specific project. 
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited Registered Office: Network Rail, 2nd Floor, One Eversholt Street, London, NW1 2DN Registered in England and Wales No. 2904587 www.networkrail.co.uk 
 

OFFICIAL 
 
The Information Commissioner’s guidance makes it clear that a public authority should 
apply this section of the EIRs when ‘it reasonably believes it will require additional time to 
locate and provide the information because the requester has asked for a large amount of 
complex information and it would not be practical to provide the information or make a 
decision about whether to refuse the request within 20 working days. 
 
For further guidance as to the application of the EIRs, you may wish to consult the 
Information Commissioner’s website at: https://ico.org.uk/media/for-
organisations/documents/1641/guide_to_environmental_information_regulations.pdf  
 
While we have already retrieved the information you are seeking in your request, we are 
still working through the complexities of whether disclosure of this information is 
appropriate. While we are working through these decisions, it is not possible to provide a 
substantive response. Accordingly, in line with the provisions of regulation 7(1) of the EIR, 
I will respond to you as soon as possible and by 10 March 2021 at the latest. 
 
If you have any enquiries about this letter, please contact me in the first instance at 
xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx. Details of your appeal rights are below. 
 Please remember to quote the reference number at the top of this letter in all future 
communications. 
Yours sincerely 
 
Emma Meadows 
Information Officer 
 
Appeal Rights 

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled and wish to make a 
complaint or request a review of our decision, please write to the Head of Freedom of 
Information at Network Rail, Freedom of Information, The Quadrant, Elder Gate, Milton 
Keynes, MK9 1EN, or by email at xxx@xxxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx. Your request must be submitted 
within 40 working days of receipt of this letter.   
 
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply 
directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner 
(ICO) can be contacted at Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water 
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or you can contact the ICO through the 'Make a 
Complaint' section of their website on this link: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ 
 
The relevant section to select will be "Official or Public Information".  
 
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited Registered Office: Network Rail, 2nd Floor, One Eversholt Street, London, NW1 2DN Registered in England and Wales No. 2904587 www.networkrail.co.uk