Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0EU
www.gov.uk/dhsc
Mr Carl Cumming-Smith
By email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
4 August 2022
Dear Mr Cumming-Smith,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1411330
Thank you for your request dated 7 July to the Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC), a copy of which can be found in the accompanying annex.
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
We have considered your request for information, but we are unable to answer it without
further clarification. Section 1(3) of the FOIA does not oblige us to answer requests where
we require further clarification to identify and locate the information requested.
So that we provide you with the right information, we would be grateful if you could clarify if
this is a request seeking information held by DHSC on how FOI requests received by NHS
Shared Business Services are handled? On receipt of this information, I will continue to
process your request.
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.
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to appeal by
asking for an internal review. This should be sent to
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or
to the address at the top of this letter and be submitted within two months of the date of
this letter.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may complain directly
to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Generally, the ICO cannot make a
decision unless you have already appealed our original response and received our internal
review decision. You should raise your concerns with the ICO within three months of your
last meaningful contact with us.
Guidance on contacting the ICO can be found at
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us and
information about making a complaint can be found a
t https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Team
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Annex
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
Can a summary or the contract details regarding how FOI requests are processed that are
received directly to the NHS Shared Business Services?
Yours faithfully,
Carl Cumming-Smith