Copies of the sound files of the jingles that play over the speakers.

The request was refused by Transport for London.

Dear Transport for London,

At many London Overground stations in South London (including, Norwood Junction, Crystal Palace, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, and many others) there are some jingles that play over the speakers before the automated announcements plays. When the automated announcement plays a jingle comes over the speakers just before. I would like to request sound files of all of these jingles please.

Yours faithfully,

Benjamin Wilson

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Mr Wilson

 

TfL Ref: FOI-0216-2223

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28
April 2022.

 

We will aim to issue a response by 26 May 2022 in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

 

We publish a substantial range of information on our website on subjects
including operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data,
governance and our financial performance. This includes data which is
frequently asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Benjamin Wilson <[FOI #857575 email]>
Sent: 28 April 2022 03:00
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Copies of the sound files of the
jingles that play over the speakers.

 

Dear Transport for London,

 

At many London Overground stations in South London (including, Norwood
Junction, Crystal Palace, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, and many
others) there are some jingles that play over the speakers before the
automated announcements plays. When the automated announcement plays a
jingle comes over the speakers just before. I would like to request sound
files of all of these jingles please.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Benjamin Wilson

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #857575 email]

 

Is [4][TfL request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
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[5]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

 

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FOI, Transport for London

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Wilson

 

TfL Ref: FOI-0216-2223

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28
April 2022, asking for a sound file of jingles played at London Overground
stations.

 

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you require. The sound files
in question belong to Southern Railway. If you want to contact them, their
contact details can be found [1]here.

I am sorry we are unable to assist you on this occasion.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached
information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Benjamin Wilson <[2][FOI #857575 email]>
Sent: 28 April 2022 03:00
To: FOI <[3][email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Copies of the sound files of the
jingles that play over the speakers.

 

Dear Transport for London,

 

At many London Overground stations in South London (including, Norwood
Junction, Crystal Palace, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, and many
others) there are some jingles that play over the speakers before the
automated announcements plays. When the automated announcement plays a
jingle comes over the speakers just before. I would like to request sound
files of all of these jingles please.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Benjamin Wilson

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[4][FOI #857575 email]

 

Is [5][TfL request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Transport for London? If so, please contact us using this form:

[6]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[7]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

 

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the
latest advice from the ICO:

[8]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

[9]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

 

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will
be delayed.

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

 

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hide quoted sections

Benjamin Wilson

Dear FOI,

I just finally received a reply back from Southern Rail (GTR) today and they told me that it is TFL that holds this and that the automated announcements systems including the jingles at these stations transferred to TFL control in 2010 and as such you now hold this. So it seems like you do hold these files. This makes sense what they are saying as in 2010 the management of the stations transferred to you so you must control the automated announcements system including the jingles now as even Southern Rail (GTR) have just told me that you do. Therefore i am now writing to request an Internal Review as i would like you to review your response as it seems that you do hold these files.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin Wilson

FOI, Transport for London

TfL Ref: IRV-025-2223

Thank you for your email which was received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 July 2022.

You have expressed that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

A review will be conducted by an internal review panel in accordance with TfL’s Internal Review Procedure, which is available via the following URL:
https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparenc...

Every effort will be made to provide you with a response by 8 August 2022. However, if the review will not be completed by this date, we will contact you and notify you of the revised response date as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely

Emma Flint
Principal Information Access Adviser
FOI Case Management Team
Transport for London

-----Original Message-----
From: Benjamin Wilson <[FOI #857575 email]>
Sent: 11 July 2022 19:00
To: FOI <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - Copies of the sound files of the jingles that play over the speakers. CRM:0140501

Dear FOI,

I just finally received a reply back from Southern Rail (GTR) today and they told me that it is TFL that holds this and that the automated announcements systems including the jingles at these stations transferred to TFL control in 2010 and as such you now hold this. So it seems like you do hold these files. This makes sense what they are saying as in 2010 the management of the stations transferred to you so you must control the automated announcements system including the jingles now as even Southern Rail (GTR) have just told me that you do. Therefore i am now writing to request an Internal Review as i would like you to review your response as it seems that you do hold these files.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin Wilson

-----Original Message-----

Dear Mr Wilson

TfL Ref: FOI-0216-2223

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28

April 2022, asking for a sound file of jingles played at London Overground

stations.

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of

Information Act 2000 and our information access policy.

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you require. The sound files

in question belong to Southern Railway. If you want to contact them, their

contact details can be found [1]here.

I am sorry we are unable to assist you on this occasion.

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached

information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[FOI #857575 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/offi...

For more detailed guidance on safely disclosing information, read the latest advice from the ICO:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/ico-...

Please note that in some cases publication of requests and responses will be delayed.

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

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hide quoted sections

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Mr Wilson

 

I am contacting you with regards to your email request for an internal
review on 11 July 2022. Following your email a review has been carried out
by an Independent Review Panel (‘the panel’) consisting of individuals who
were not involved in the handling of your request (FOI-0216-2223)

 

Your request of the 28 April asked the following – "At many London
Overground stations in South London (including, Norwood Junction, Crystal
Palace, Clapham High Street, Wandsworth Road, and many others) there are
some jingles that play over the speakers before the automated
announcements plays. When the automated announcement plays a jingle comes
over the speakers just before. I would like to request sound files of all
of these jingles please."

 

The panel have reviewed the correspondence held in relation to your
request and taken into consideration the ‘Information not held’ response
provided to FOI-0216-2223 and the advice you have subsequently received
from Southern Rail.

 

The Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information
held by Transport for London. However there are limits on the time that we
are required to spend determining whether we hold the information you are
requesting and the time spent locating, retrieving and extracting it. As
you are requesting a sound bite of a ‘jingle’, the panel agree that the
time and staff resource it would take to try and identify this ‘jingle’
and then confirm if in fact we do hold a copy (which we cannot guarantee
that we do) would be a unreasonable burden on our staff and a distraction
away from their core functions of running the network.  Therefore in the
instance the panel agree that section 14(1) of the FOIA is appropriately
engaged to refuse your request.

 

To provide a little more context regarding this exemption, section 14 of
the FOI Act outlines the remit whereby a public authority does not have to
comply with a ‘vexatious request’. S14 can be used in a variety of
circumstances where a request, or its impact on a public authority, cannot
be justified, however it can only be applied to the request itself and not
the individual who submitted it and there are no public interest test
considerations.

 

The Freedom of Information Act was designed to give individuals a greater
right of access to official information with the intention of making
public bodies more transparent and accountable. Whilst most requesters
exercise this right responsibly, a few may misuse or abuse the Act by
submitting requests which are intended to be annoying or disruptive or
which have a disproportionate impact on a public authorities resources. We
make no suggestion that it is your intention to cause disruption or misuse
the act, however s14 is designed to protect public authorities by allowing
them to refuse a request which will have the potential to cause a
disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption.

 

The emphasis on protecting public authorities’ resources from unreasonable
requests was acknowledged by the Upper Tribunal in the case of Information
Commissioner vs Devon County Council & Dransfield [2012] UKUT 440 (AAC),
(28 January 2013) when it defined the purpose of section 14 as follows;
‘Section 14…is concerned with the nature of the request and has the effect
of disapplying the citizen’s right under Section 1(1)…The purpose of
Section 14…must be to protect the resources (in the broadest sense of that
word) of the public authority from being squandered on disproportionate
use of FOIA…’ (paragraph 10) -
[1]http://administrativeappeals.decisions.t...

 

When attempting to identify potentially vexatious requests the Information
Commissioners Office provides public authorities guidance on the typical
‘key features’ of s14. However these indicators are not to be regarded as
either definitive or limiting and a public authority remains free to
refuse a request as vexatious based on their own assessment of all the
relevant circumstances. Some of these ‘key features’ as outlined by the
Information Commissioner are listed below for your information-

 

• Burden on the authority

The effort required to meet the request will be so grossly oppressive in
terms of the strain on time and resources, that the authority cannot
reasonably be expected to comply, no matter how legitimate the subject
matter or valid the intentions of the requester.

 

• Disproportionate effort

The matter being pursued by the requester is relatively trivial and the
authority would have to expend a disproportionate amount of resources in
order to meet their request.

 

• Frivolous requests

The subject matter is inane or extremely trivial and the request appears
to lack any serious purpose. The request is made for the sole purpose of
amusement.

 

The conclusion that s14(1) is engaged was reached on the basis that the
panel could not justify the diversion of specialist resources and
disproportionate effort to try and address whether we hold the ‘jingle’
that you seek.

 

Transport for London receive around 3500 requests under the Freedom of
Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations every year. A
number of these requests come from transport enthusiasts and their
requests for information have shaped our proactive publication of
information. We are very enthusiastic about public transport ourselves and
we recognise that people are interested in London’s iconic transport
network and we are of course mindful of both our duty to advise and assist
and our commitment to transparency more generally. However it is clear the
that the time and diversion of staff resource to address your request is
unreasonable, requiring the redirection of limited specialist resources
and the attention of staff away from their core functions who could be
supporting other essential activity.

 

Essentially, we do not consider that there is anything more than the most
marginal benefit to the public good through the release of the requested
information. This does not help anyone plan a journey or assess the
provision of transport services in London. It does not contribute to
openness or transparency or increase public understanding of the delivery
of services. We believe that this is essentially a frivolous requests.
Whilst we recognise that some people are interested in transport ephemera,
we do not consider that this interest is the same as the public interest.

Therefore your complaint has not been upheld on this occasion.

 

Further information on the Information Commissioner’s guidance on section
14 can be found here:
[2]https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

 

The Panel appreciate that the above response may come as a disappointment
but we hope our response has provided a better clarity regarding the
provision of the information you seek. However if you are dissatisfied
with the internal review actions to date please do not hesitate to contact
me ([3][TfL request email]) or alternately you can refer the matter to the
independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information
Act, at the following address:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

A complaint form is also available on the ICO’s website
([4]www.ico.org.uk).

 

Yours sincerely

Emma Flint

Principal Information Access Adviser

FOI Case Management Team

Transport for London

[5][TfL request email]

 

 

 

 

 

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