Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0EU
www.gov.uk/dhsc
Mr Christian Hacking
By email
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
17 March 2022
Dear Mr Hacking,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1397893, FOI-1397894, FOI-1397895,
FOI-1397896, FOI-1397897, FOI-1397898, FOI-1397900, FOI-1397901 and FOI-1397902
Thank you for your requests dated 11 March, which I have attached in Annex A.
Your requests have been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
To provide the information as the requests are currently framed would exceed the
appropriate cost limit as set out in the FOIA.
Section 12(1) of the FOIA provides that public authorities are not obliged to comply with a
request for information if it estimates the cost of complying would exceed the appropriate
limit. Paragraph 1, Schedule 1, Part 1 of the FOIA and regulation 3 of the Freedom of
Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 (the
Regulations) set the appropriate limit for the DHSC at £600.
Where two or more requests for the same or similar information are made to a public
authority within a period of sixty working days, regulation 5(1) and (2) of the Regulations
allows that public authority to aggregate those requests.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) advises that when a public authority is
estimating whether the appropriate cost limit is likely to be exceeded, it can include the
costs of complying with two or more requests if the conditions laid out in regulation 11 of
the Regulations can be satisfied.
Those conditions require the requests to be:
• made by one person, or by different persons who appear to the public authority to be
acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign;
• made for the same or similar information; and
• received by the public authority within any period of 60 consecutive working days.
Regulation 5(2) of the Regulations requires that the requests which are to be aggregated
relate “to any extent” to the same or similar information. This can be applied where there is
an overarching theme or common thread running between the requests in terms of the
nature of the information that has been requested.
DHSC believes that all nine of your requests were a repeat of your previous request,
broken down into nine new requests. The Department therefore asserts that all the criteria
set out by the Regulations have been met.
Although we cannot answer your requests at the moment, we may, however, be able to
answer a refined request within the cost limit. You may wish to consider, for example
selecting one topic, one or two organisations and a shorter time frame.
Please note that the Department is not obliged to respond to further requests on this topic
sent in within the next 60 working days.
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 submitted within two months of the date of
this letter and sent to
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx, or to the address at the top 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.
The ICO can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ Yours sincerely,
Jane Spencer
Freedom of Information Officer
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Annex A
FOI-1397893 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges
between 8-15th Jan
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 8-15th Jan. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397894 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 12th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397895 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 9th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397896 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 11th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397897 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 14th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397898 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 14th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397900 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 13th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397901 Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 10th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
FOI-1397902 RE:Email Correspondence between DHSC and Abortion Providers and Royal Colleges on
the 7th Feb 2022
Following on from FOI request -1393812
Please can I request all correspondences between the DHSC and abortion providers on
the 7th Feb 2022. These should include:
-Abortion Providers (BPAS, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Marie Stopes UK, Marie
Stopes, NUPAS, National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service) -Royal Colleges (Eg.
The Royal College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, Royal College of Midwives) -Any
other relevant organisation
You may redact names and other personal data of lower-ranking civil servants only. If
possible please do not redact names of any heads of staff in either institution.
