Asbestos in Walsall schools

The request was successful.

Dear Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council,

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide me with the following information:

1. The names of the schools in your borough that contain asbestos.
2. The date and outcome of the last independent audit or inspection of each of these schools Asbestos Management Plans.
3. The details of any reported incidents of asbestos exposure in these schools between 2011 and 2016.
4. Details of any improvement or prohibition notice served or guidance issued by the HSE in relation to the management of asbestos in schools in your borough in the last 5 years.
5. The number of school employees (existing and retired staff to include teaching staff, school support staff and caretakers, etc) and ex-pupils that have pursued a claim against you for exposure to asbestos within a school in your borough.
6. The number of these claims that have been settled.
7. The amount of money that has been paid in settlement of these claims (with and without your authority accepting responsibility).

I understand that under the Act I am entitled to a response within 20 working days of your receipt of this request. Some parts of the request may be easier to answer than others. Should this be the case, I request that you release information as soon as possible.

If my request is denied in whole or in part, I ask that you justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the Act. I will also expect you to release all non-exempt material. I reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to charge excessive
fees.

I would prefer to receive the information electronically.

If you require any clarification, please contact me in accordance with your duty under Section 16 to provide advice and assistance if you find any aspect of this FOI request problematic.

Please acknowledge receipt of this request by email. I look forward to receiving the information in the near future.

Yours faithfully,

Lucie Stephens

InformationRights@walsall.gov.uk, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

 

Dear Ms Stephens,

 

Thank you for your request for information about Asbestos in Walsall
schools, which was received on 08 September 2016.

 

In accordance with provisions within Freedom of Information Act 2000, the
council will respond to your request within 20 working days, saying
whether we have the information that you want, and if there will be any
charges. 

 

If, for any reason, we cannot provide you with the information, we will
tell you why. If we need to clarify your request, we will contact you
again.

 

In the meantime, if you need to contact me about your request, please do
so quoting the above reference number.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Julie Noble

 

InformationRights@walsall.gov.uk, Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Stephens,

 

Freedom of Information Request RFI1000/16

 

Further to your request for information about Asbestos in Walsall schools,
I can tell you the following:

 

1.    The names of the schools in your borough that contain asbestos.

 

2.    The date and outcome of the last independent audit or inspection of
each of these schools Asbestos Management Plans.

 

Please see attached spreadsheet for questions 1-2

 

3.    The details of any reported incidents of asbestos exposure in these
schools between 2011 and 2016.

 

No reports of exposure

 

4.    Details of any improvement or prohibition notice served or guidance
issued by the HSE in relation to the management of asbestos in schools in
your borough in the last 5 years.

 

None

 

5.    The number of school employees (existing and retired staff to
include teaching staff, school support staff and caretakers, etc) and
ex-pupils that have pursued a claim against you for exposure to asbestos
within a school in your borough.

 

There are 2 claims that relate to alleged asbestos exposure in Walsall
schools made by employees/ former employees.

 

6.    The number of these claims that have been settled.

 

Of the 2 identified claims both have been closed none of the identified
claims have resulted in a payment to the claimant.

 

7.    The amount of money that has been paid in settlement of these claims
(with and without your authority accepting responsibility).

 

The total amount paid out for the 2 identified claims that meet the search
criteria is £7,000.00 relating to legal fees only – as mentioned in the
response to question 6 no payment has been made in relation to
compensation.

 

Most of the information that we provide in response to Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004
requests will be subject to copyright protection.  In most cases the
copyright will be owned by Walsall Council. The copyright in respect of
other information may be owned by another person or organisation, as
indicated.

 

You are free to use any information supplied to you in response to this
request for your own non-commercial research or private study purposes.
The information may also be used for any other purpose allowed by a
limitation or exception in copyright law, such as news reporting.
 However, any other type of re-use, for example by publishing the
information in analogue or digital form, including on the internet, will
require the permission of the copyright owner.

 

I hope that the information provided is useful to you. However, if you are
dissatisfied, you should set out in writing your grounds for complaint and
send to: Information Risk & Governance Manager, Business Change, Civic
Centre, Darwall Street, Walsall, WS1 1TP.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply
directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for a decision.
Please remember that, generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you
have first exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the council. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9
5AF. [1]https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

 

Yours sincerely

 

Laurie Andrews

 

Laurie Andrews

Information Rights Officer

Information Governance Team, Business Change , Change and Governance,
Walsall Council, Darwall Street, Walsall WS1 1TP

Tel: 01922  65 5978

Fax: 01922  614210

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