Dear Aneurin Bevan University Health Board,

Request Title/summary within scope.






I am writing to make an open government request for all the 
information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information 
Act 2000.


Please send me original recorded information, which includes information held on computers, in emails and in printed or handwritten documents as well as images, video and audio recordings.


If this request is too wide or unclear, and you require a 
clarification, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I 
understand that under the Act, you are required, as a duty,  to advise and assist requesters.(Section 16 / Regulation 9).


ICO guidance: 

Public authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance to individuals making requests for information under FOIA.
Public authorities should provide advice and assistance to an applicant in the following circumstances:

1. to clarify unclear requests;

2. to help to provide the information requested in an
acceptable format;

3. to narrow responses which exceed the cost limit (section
12);

4. when they have refused to provide the information
because it is accessible by other means (section 21) or there is an intention to publish it in the future (section 22); and

5. when their request is transferred to another public authority because the information is held by it, and not by the public authority it was addressed to.



https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...



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.


If any of this information is already in the public domain, please 
can you direct me to it, with page references and URLs if 
necessary.


Please confirm or deny whether the requested information is held ( section (Section 1(1)(a) and consider whether information should be provided under section 1(1)(b), or whether it is subject to an exemption in Part II of the Act. 


If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the 
grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with 
copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that 
information should not be treated as confidential if such an 
agreement has not been signed.


I request that the response  be provided to me as electronic copies, via WDTK. 


The information should be immediately readable - and, as a freedom of Information request,  not put in a PDF or any closed form, which some readers may not be able to access.






I understand that you are required to respond to my request within 
the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be 
grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received 
this request.


::::::::


Please consider  the ICO's Decision on the provision original documents on file, rather than newly written letters of response.
https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...

50. However, if the requester expresses a preference to inspect the original documents (or copies of those documents) then we would expect the authority to provide them with a reasonable opportunity to view the originals (or copies), where practicable. 

https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...
Nb This request does not require a letter, drafted by the External Affairs department, or any other written input by reputational defence employees - and purporting to be the response to a FOIA request.

::




Please note: 
Section 77 FOIA 



77.—(1) Where—
(a) a request for information has been made to a public
authority, and
(b) under section 1 of this Act or section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998, the applicant would have been entitled (subject to payment of any fee) to communication of any information in accordance with that section,
any person to whom this subsection applies is guilty of an offence if he alters, defaces, blocks, erases, destroys or conceals any record held by the public authority, with the intention of preventing the disclosure by that authority of all, or any part, of the information to the communication of which the applicant would have been entitled.
(2) Subsection (1) applies to the public authority and to any person who is employed by, is an officer of, or is subject to the direction of, the public authority. 

===

The request

Halal meat and poultry served to patients and staff - amount and information policy.

The request had been made to ascertain how much halal meat and poultry is being served to patients and staff and that the necessary informative process of doing so is in place.

I request data showing how much halal meat and poultry is served to patients and staff - and where it is being served.

- You will already know that halal meat cannot be served to Christians, already having been dedicated to another God.

Therefore the data that I request Includes the policy of informing patients that the meat and poultry they are being served is halal, so that they may choose whether or not to eat it.

On either religious grounds, or on slaughter methods.

-

This request may be narrowed to the last year (date today) if the data exceeds the FOIA search hours response.

==

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

Dear Aneurin Bevan University Health Board,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board's handling of my FOI request 'Halal meat and poultry served to patients and staff - amount and policy.'.

Thank you for your letter and a menu, but this is an FOiiA request, not an enquiry.
In case you are unaware of the Act- It is for data, already in file.

Please review - complying with the terms of the request, including Section 16 heip and assistance, as it appears my request has either been unclear, or there has been an unwillingness to respond to it.

==
The request

Halal meat and poultry served to patients and staff - amount and information policy.

*Your response states that AB has no policy on halal. Yet a menu is provided.

* AB must have some guidance given to kitchens on the storage of the halal menu.
As halal meals cannot be stored with non-halal meals, example pork.

Please provide this storage polIcy.

==

The request had been made to ascertain how much halal meat and poultry is being served to patients and staff and that the necessary informative process of doing so is in place.

I request data showing how much halal meat and poultry is served to patients and staff - and where it is being served.

* AB must know how much halal is bought and where it is served. Yet there is no response in this part of the request.

Your reply seems to indicate that AB keeps no records on the buying and serving of halal at all.
And where it is served.

Which would. of course, be needed for audit.

Please therefore provide the withheld data in response to the request.

==

- You will already know that halal meat cannot be served to Christians, already having been dedicated to another God.

Therefore the data that I request Includes the policy of informing patients that the meat and poultry they are being served is halal, so that they may choose whether or not to eat it.

On either religious grounds, or on slaughter methods.

* Since you have no policy on halal, your response seems to indicate that patients are not told that they are being served halal meat.

Unless they request a halal menu.

To provide more help and assistance to enable a response:

Since there is no policy, are any halal meals served to patients who have not been told that they are halal-
Thus there any indicators or information on general menus that any halal meals are included these menus?

If so, please reply showing that all halal meals are marked , giving patients information, so that they may decide for themselves whether or not they wish to eat halal.

-

As stated:

This request may be narrowed to the last year (date today) if the data exceeds the FOIA search hours response.

==

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h...

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

Dear Aneurin Bevan University Health Board,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board's handling of my FOI request 'Halal meat and poultry served to patients and staff - amount and policy.'.

Dear Richard Bevan (Aneurin Bevan UHB - Executive Board),

Thank you but this is yet another letter.

It now appears that you did not take the trouble to read my request before your responses.

These criteria were within the request on the production of FOIA data:

...50. However, if the requester expresses a preference to inspect the original documents (or copies of those documents) then we would expect the authority to provide them with a reasonable opportunity to view the originals (or copies), where practicable. 

https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisatio...

Nb This request does not require a letter, drafted by the External Affairs department, or any other written input by reputational defence employees - and purporting to be the response to a FOIA request.

::

Once again, a letter, is NOT data that you held at the time of the FOIA request.

I am asking for you to provide a proper review of my request ...and respond to it.

Once again...
I do not require any more further newly written letters

I require the data that I have requested under the FOIAct.

==

Request:

The request had been made to ascertain how much halal meat and poultry is being served to patients and staff and that the necessary informative process of doing so is in place.

I request data showing how much halal meat and poultry is served to patients and staff - and where it is being served.

-

....If AB is serving halal meat to people from other religions other than Muslims - and without their knowledge - through lack of an information policy this is clearly unfair to them, since the equivalent would be serving say ..pork, to those of the Muslim religion, without telling them.

However, the requested data contained in AB’s halal meat bills will show sourcing of the meat that AB provides to its halal patients and is within scope of the request.

If there is no check on the sourcing of meat from non-halal abattoirs provided to AB patients, and no information policy on the type of slaughter of animals, then presumably AB has been negligent in its to its non- halal eating patients for not providing an information policy on the subject.

Please provide any information provided to patients to enable them to make their religious, or type of slaughter choice.

Request- a reminder of the required DATA.

Halal meat and poultry served to patients and staff - amount and information policy.

- As you state ...you have ‘no information policy’.

- This leaves data certainly on your bills file, and maybe others showing the financial amounts, weight amounts and deliveries. Or how would bills otherwise be paid?

- This data must be contained on AB files, as it has to be presented to auditors.

Please therefore provide the requested data.

==

You also seem to be stating that only one hospital provides halal meals to its patients.

- Are you sure that no halal meals have been served in any other AB hospitals during the requested time period?

If there have been, then the requested data (on delivery and financial and halal amount, as within a normal bill) is within scope of this request.

==

Request
- You will already know that halal meat cannot be served to Christians, already having been dedicated to another God.

Therefore the data that I request Includes the policy of informing patients that the meat and poultry they are being served is halal, so that they may choose whether or not to eat it.

On either religious grounds, or on slaughter methods.
-
This request may be narrowed to the last year (date today) if the data exceeds the FOIA search hours response.

==

To save forwarding this request straight away to the ICO - since it clearly hasn’t been read - I am asking you to review your reply - yet again.

I wish to establish either that :

1- After re-reading the scope and assistance (for clarity) provided within the request on origunal data on file , you respond correctly to the FOIA request..as stated on WDTK.

2. Or that you will only reply via yet more newly drafted letters, (which cannot have existed on file at the time of my request) and do not address the scope of the request.

I will then forward your response to the ICO, as a complaint if you choose Option 2 .

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/h...

Yours faithfully,

[Name Removed]

Dear Rona Button (Aneurin Bevan UHB - Corporate Services),

To help and assist you ....in the absence of a halal policy, you will need to determine the source of the served meat.

You should find the EU slaughterhouse coding on your meat packing and bills, as the source of the meat.

- Presumably public organisations are informed of slaughter sources, as supermarket customers are.
In fact the regulations should be more stringent.

And this is what I want to know - via this request.

This will show how slaughterhouses which provide meat to AB kills its animals.

And how much, and where, halal is served to patients and staff.

I hope this helps.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]

Dear Richard Bevan (Aneurin Bevan UHB - Executive Board),

Thank you for you letter.

I am grateful that you have now responded to my request, by addressing the request on hospitals and quantities.

However, you still seem to be stating that you do not check the source of the food that you serve to patients in your letter, - ( which, you recall, I specifically asked you not to provide).

I would remind you that this request asks you to provide ORIGINAL DATA on whether, or not, halal slaughtered meat has been provided to patients and that is knowingly - or unknowingly.

You will have no way of knowing whether or not the meat is halal, unless you have checked its source, which is what this request is about.

And this must be provided to you in the form of receipts, since it is illegal to sell meat, without providing the source code under EU regulations..

Government UK

Food labelling - what you must show
You must show the following information:
* the name of the food
* a ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date (or instructions on where to find it)
* any necessary warnings
* net quantity information
* a list of ingredients (if there is more than 1)
* the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or seller
* the country of origin, if required
* the lot number or use-by date
* any special storage conditions
* instructions for use or cooking, if necessary

https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-pa...

Approved establishment identification mark
https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/fi...

As the meat industry states:

‘Information about suppliers and customers means that if a significant food safety concern occurs, the food can be tracked backwards or forwards through the food chain. This information can be used to withdraw or recall food more quickly from the market and to target these actions to specific products’.

So the source slaughterhouse of the meat/ poultry has to be in the data that you hold on file. Otherwise AB has been illegally buying ‘meat/ poultry’ to patients from an completely unlabelled, unknown source.

Which can have severe consequences for patients.

=

However, since you have already admitted that there is ‘no policy’ (in one of your letters), on the choice of whether or not to eat halal meat for patients; as well as failing to check the source on the meat provided to them ( by implication today) , then the consequence of neglecting this duty that means that AB may well also have provided halal-slaughtered meat to Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Jewish people etc.

==

Once again, you do not seem to have complied with the terms of the request, which states the original receipts - redacted if need be, under FOIA.

And have only provided two ‘samples’

On these grounds:

The Health Board is unable to provide copies of invoices for meat
purchased as these would be exempt under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act.  This information is regarded as commercial in confidence and cannot be disclosed. 

I would remind you that Section 43 states:

Commercial interests.
(1)
Information is exempt information if it constitutes a trade secret.
(2)
Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).
(3)
The duty to confirm or deny does not arise if, or to the extent that, compliance with section 1(1)(a) would, or would be likely to, prejudice the interests mentioned in subsection (2).

1. There is no special ‘trade secret’ to the buying of food. It cannot benefit any other company to know which meat AB buys. Particularly as NHS tenders must be on public record.

2 Invoices cannot ‘prejudice the commercial interests’ of AB, or it’s suppliers, as they can be skilfully redacted, to leave the requested data.

The provision of meat goes out to tender, which should be on public record, unless as you seem to be stating, the meat given to AB patients lacks a legal source code.

And even if an intermediary is employed to handle the meat provision tender, then AB must have a copy on record, and the result and decision of the tender.

Since AB is legally responsible for the outcome of providing patients with unlabelled, or labelled food, from its sources.
Clearly AB must know the source because of the sensitive health and safety nature of feeding patients.

3. Doesn’t apply as the meat/ poultry invoices must exist.

As your response still does not provide the requested data, and you seem very unwilling to check your files for slaughter house sourcing, I will now forward this request to the Information Commissioner’s Office as a complaint.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]

Dear Richard Bevan (Aneurin Bevan UHB - Executive Board),

Thank you.

I have already made a request to the NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership.

You may like to consult the wdtk site for the response.

- Apparently they don’t have a clue as to where Wales NHS meat and poultry is sourced either.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]

Thank you.

But I really don't know why it has taken so long for you to reply to this request, since AB must have been able to track the information to comply with food standards. Instantly.

To assure itself that it was complying with health standards. Especially after a food poisoning outbreak.

Which I pointed out early in the correspondence.

==

Plus I have had to involve the Information Commissioner’s Office, which has cost public money and ICO time - which, presumably, AB was quite happy to fritter away just to avoid providing the data.

I therefore await the public decision with interest.

==

Please note : The request is not limited to chicken.

It is on halal MEAT and poultry.

There is no mention of meat in your reply.

Please provide all the data requested. Or state why it is impossible for you to supply it.

==

As for the data you state you wish to provide ‘privately’.

The FoiAct is for organisations to provide information to ALL the public.

And that is why I have asked for the information on a public site - so that any religious patient at AB may know that they might be served with meat dedicated to another God. And animal lovers may choose to eat something else off the menu.

Yours sincerely,

[Name Removed]