Bona Vacantia
Dear Treasury Solicitor’s Department,
Please provide me with a list (anonymised, if necessary) of Bona Vacantia estates which have been processed by TSol in the last eighteen months, and the value of each.
Yours faithfully,
Steve Elibank
Dear Sir,
I acknowledge receipt of your email dated 15 September 2011 which was
received on 15 September 2011.
I will respond to your correspondence shortly.
Yours faithfully
Laura Antoniou on behalf of Beena Kabir
Records Co-ordinator
Bona Vacantia Division
Dear Mr. Steve Elibank
Re Request for Information BVFOI/288/11
The Estate of FOI Requests 2011-2012
I am writing to confirm that the Bona Vacantia Division (“the Division”)
of the Treasury Solicitor’s Department (“the Department”) has completed
its search for the information you requested in your e-mail received 15
September 2011. Your request is being dealt with under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (“the Act”).
I confirm that the Division holds some of the information that you have
requested.
You have asked for a list of Bona Vacantia estates which have been
processed by TSol in the last eighteen months. I am not sure what you
mean by ‘estates which have been processed by’ and should be grateful if
you could clarify the nature of the information you are seeking. Are you
asking for a list of estates that we have administered, or do you mean the
number of estates cases referred to us in the last eighteen months. I
will treat any clarification I receive from you as a fresh Freedom of
Information request.
However, in case it is of assistance to you a list of unclaimed estates
from 1997 onwards can be found on our website
[1]www.bonavacantia.gov.uk>estates>Are you an entitled relative>unclaimed
estates from 1997 onwards. Please note that the list cannot be guaranteed
to be complete and correct and no warranties are given or implied to that
effect. The Treasury Solicitor does not accept any responsibility for any
errors or omissions in the information or for any loss which might result
from reliance thereon.
You have also asked for the values of each estate. I am withholding this
information, as it is exempt from disclosure under section 31(1) (a) of
the Act. Section 31(1) (a) provides that information is exempt from
disclosure if that disclosure would, or would be likely to; prejudice the
prevention or detection of crime. We believe that disclosure of the
requested information to any member of the public would, or would be
likely to, help enable the commission of fraud or other criminal activity.
In applying the exemption, we have had to balance the public interest in
withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the
information. There is a strong public interest in ensuring that the
Division’s activities are conducted in an open, transparent and honest
way. However, disclosure of the exempt information could help enable the
commission of fraud which would be likely to result in a loss to the
public purse. There is a strong public interest in protecting the public
purse and it is therefore considered that the public interest in
maintaining the exemption in section 31(1)(a) in this case outweighs the
public interest in disclosing the information.
Further information can be found on our website at
[2]www.bonavacantia.gov.uk>estates>estates guidelines>Freedom of
Information Guidelines.
If you are unhappy with the level of service you have received in relation
to your request you may ask for an internal review within two months of
the receipt of this response. If you wish to do this you should contact
me at the above address. It will help ensure your complaint is properly
considered if when requesting an internal review you also set out the
reasons why you are unhappy with the service you have received.
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 can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
If you have any queries about this letter, please contact me. Please
remember to quote the reference number in any future communications.
Yours sincerely
Laura Antoniou on behalf of Beena Kabir
Records Co-ordinator
Bona Vacantia Division
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now