Independent Scheme Assurance Panel (ISAP)

The request was partially successful.

Dear Identity & Passport Service,

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please send me:

1. The 2009 annual report of the National Identity Scheme (NIS) Independent Scheme Assurance Panel (ISAP).

2. The Identity and Passport Service official response to the ISAP 2009 report.

3. The minutes of all meetings of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel since its inception.

4. All papers and presentations presented to meetings of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel since its inception.

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Watson

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Watson,

Thank you for your email of 20 August. Please find an acknowledgement
attached.

<<15904 Watson.doc>>
Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team

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1 Attachment

Dear Mr Watson,

Thank you for your email of 20 August. Please find attached document.

<<15904 A Watson PIT.pdf>>
Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team

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Andrew Watson left an annotation ()

A quick summary of the attached document:

IPS is considering whether it's "in the public interest" for some of the data to be disclosed (presumably the ISAP minutes and presentations).

They "now aim to let you have a full response by
19 October".

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Watson,

Thank you for your email of 20 August. Please find a response attached.

<<15904 A Watson response.pdf>>

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team

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Dear Identity & Passport Service,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Identity & Passport Service's handling of my FOI request 'Independent Scheme Assurance Panel (ISAP)'.

Since IPS has now stated that it intends to publish the documents I requested in items 1 and 2 of my request (the 2009 NIS ISAP report, and the official IPS response to it), I'm content to await their publication "before the end of December 2010". I am not requesting a review of items 1 and 2 of my request.

However, I would like to draw your attention to item 3 in my FOI request. I requested the minutes of all meetings of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel since its inception. You have refused this request, citing the FOI Act section 35 (1) (a) exemption ("Information held by a government department or by is exempt information if it relates to ... the formulation or development of government policy ..."), saying that "The ISAP were not a traditional assurance group ... but acted as an advice group, seeking to guide the development of the ID cards programme ...".

In his foreword to the 2007 Annual Report of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel, the chairman, Alan Hughes, writes:

"The Panel’s remit is restricted to examining the means and method of delivery of the Scheme and the likely efficacy of these plans. It is not concerned with examining the desirability of the Scheme and the policy decisions which led to it, but will raise concerns for the Programme if its objectives or the routes by which they are to be reached are not clear."

Since Mr Hughes states quite clearly that ISAP was not concerned with examining the Scheme's policy decisions, I cannot see how the section 35 (1) (a) exemption applies to the minutes of its meetings. I am therefore requesting a review of this decision.

You also state that not all of the minutes can be located within the cost limits - if this is the case, please send me only the minutes that you have already located.

Similarly, for item 4 of my request, please review your decision, and send me papers and presentations which you have already located.

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

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Watson

14th November 2010

Dear IPSFOIs,

On 29th October I submitted a request for internal review of your response to my FOI request regarding the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel (ISAP). Your reference for this FOI request is FOICR 15904/10, and my request for a review is attached below.

I haven't received any acknowledgement of this request for review. On at least one previous occasion correspondence about an FOI request I've submitted has been mislaid within IPS. Hence I would greatly appreciate it if you could acknowledge this request, so that I can be sure you've received it.

Yours Faithfully,

Andrew Watson

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

29 October 2010

Dear Identity & Passport Service,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Identity & Passport Service's handling of my FOI request 'Independent Scheme Assurance Panel (ISAP)'.

Since IPS has now stated that it intends to publish the documents I requested in items 1 and 2 of my request (the 2009 NIS ISAP report, and the official IPS response to it), I'm content to await their publication "before the end of December 2010". I am not requesting a review of items 1 and 2 of my request.

However, I would like to draw your attention to item 3 in my FOI request. I requested the minutes of all meetings of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel since its inception. You have refused this request, citing the FOI Act section 35 (1) (a) exemption ("Information held by a government department or by is exempt information if it relates to ... the formulation or development of government policy ..."), saying that "The ISAP were not a traditional assurance group ... but acted as an advice group, seeking to guide the development of the ID cards programme ...".

In his foreword to the 2007 Annual Report of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel, the chairman, Alan Hughes, writes:

"The Panel’s remit is restricted to examining the means and method of delivery of the Scheme and the likely efficacy of these plans. It is not concerned with examining the desirability of the Scheme and the policy decisions which led to it, but will raise concerns for the Programme if its objectives or the routes by which they are to be reached are not clear."

Since Mr Hughes states quite clearly that ISAP was not concerned with examining the Scheme's policy decisions, I cannot see how the section 35 (1) (a) exemption applies to the minutes of its meetings. I am therefore requesting a review of this decision.

You also state that not all of the minutes can be located within the cost limits - if this is the case, please send me only the minutes that you have already located.

Similarly, for item 4 of my request, please review your decision, and send me papers and presentations which you have already located.

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

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Watson

FOI Responses, HM Passport Office

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Watson,

 

Please see the attached in relation to your Freedom of Information request
(15904).

 

Kind regards,

 

Information Access Team

 

Information Access Team | Information Management Service | Seacole
Building | Home Office | 2 Marsham Street | London SW1P 4DF

 

 

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Andrew Watson left an annotation ()

I appealed this refusal to the Information Commissioner, who has now found in my favour. The ICO's decision notice is here:

http://www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/...

If the Home Office wishes to appeal, it has until 5th September to do so. If it does not, it must supply the minutes by 12th September.

23 Attachments

Dear Mr Watson,

Please find documents attached.

<<FOI 15904 Andrew Watson ICO response.pdf>>

<<051107ISAP Minutes v0 03.for disc.pdf>> <<180907 ISAP Minutes v0.02.for
disc.pdf>> <<draft Minutes oct07.for disc.pdf>> <<IAP Feb 07 minutes V
2.for disc.pdf>> <<IAP Jan 07 minutes. for disc.pdf>> <<IAP meeting oct
notes.doc(final).for disc.pdf>> <<IAP minutes 10 April 07.for disc.pdf>>
<<IAP minutes 19 June 07 V0 03.for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP minutes 7th October
Final v1.0.for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes August v 1.1.for disc.pdf>>
<<ISAP Minutes v 1 0 (1).for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes v 1 0 (2).for
disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes v 1 0 (3).for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes v 1 0
(4) for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP MINUTES v 1 0 doc for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes
v 1 0 for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP Minutes v 1.0 doc for disc.pdf>> <<ISAP
Minutes v1.0 for disc.pdf>> <<minutes010609 for disc.pdf>> <<minutes010609
more for disc.pdf>> <<031207 ISAP Minutes v1.0. for disc.pdf>> <<04 02 08
ISAP Minutes v1.0 for disc.pdf>>

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team

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Andrew Watson left an annotation ()

Here's a list of known or suspected ISAP meeting dates from 2006-2009, with the names of the corresponding minutes file supplied by the Home Office. Where a meeting is know to have taken place, but the minutes are missing, this is indicated. Where a meeting was scheduled but may or may not have taken place the line is left blank:

2006-10-16 - IAP meeting oct notes.doc final.for disc.pdf
2006-11-13
2006-12-13
2007-01-16 - IAP Jan 07 minutes.for disc.pdf
2007-02-13 - IAP Feb 07 minutes V 2.for disc.pdf
2007-03-05 - *** MISSING
2007-04-10 - IAP minutes 10 April 07.for disc.pdf
2007-05-11 - *** MISSING
2007-06-19 - IAP minutes 19 June 07 V0 03.for disc.pdf
2007-09-18 - 180907 ISAP Minutes v0.02.for disc.pdf
2007-10-08 - draft Minutes oct07.for disc.pdf
2007-11-05 - 051107ISAP Minutes v0 03.for disc.pdf
2007-12-03 - 031207 ISAP Minutes v1.0.for disc.pdf
2008-01-07 - *** MISSING
2008-02-04 - 04 02 08 ISAP Minutes v1.0 for disc.pdf
2008-03-17 - *** MISSING
2008-04-24
2008-04-28 - ISAP Minutes v1.0 for disc.pdf
2008-06-06 - ISAP MINUTES v 1 0 doc for disc.pdf
2008-08-11 - ISAP Minutes v 1.0 doc for disc.pdf
2008-10-03
2008-10-07 - ISAP minutes 7th October Final v1.0.for disc.pdf
2008-12-05
2008-12-09 - ISAP Minutes v 1 0 for disc.pdf
2009-02-03 - ISAP Minutes v 1 0 1.for disc.pdf
2009-04-03 - ISAP Minutes v 1 0 4 for disc.pdf
2009-05-07 - ISAP Minutes v 1 0 3.for disc.pdf
2009-06-01 - minutes010609 for disc.pdf, minutes010609 more for disc.pdf
2009-07-06 - ISAP Minutes v 1 0 2.for disc.pdf
2009-08-04 - ISAP Minutes August v 1.1.for disc.pdf
2009-09-07

The ISAP 2007 Annual report lists all meetings in 2007, and says that "The precursor to the ISAP was the Independent Assurance Panel (IAP). The IAP was formed in early 2005, met for its first formal meeting in August 2005 and has met 22 times between then and December 2007."

The Home Office has supplied 9 minutes up to and including December 2007, therefore 13 minutes of meetings between August 2005 and December 2007 (inclusive) are missing.

Dear Ms Lambert,

Thank you for supplying several of the minutes of the Independent Scheme Assurance Panel, as requested in my FOI request of 20th August 2010.

From analysing the minutes you have supplied, and also the Panel's 2007 Annual Report (which lists its meetings during 2007), it is clear that the minutes of the following meetings are missing:

5th March 2007
11th May 2007
7th January 2008
17th March 2008

In addition, the 2007 Annual report says that the panel "met for its first formal meeting in August 2005 and has met 22 times between then and December 2007".

This indicates that in addition to the minutes I have listed above, a further 11 sets of minutes for meetings prior to January 2006 are also missing.

Now that we have established the principle that the minutes of these meetings are, in fact, subject to FOI requests, please supply these 15 sets of missing minutes (4 with the dates I have listed in 2007/8, and a further 11 for meetings prior to January 2006).

You have previously argued that you would not be able to supply all the information I originally requested within the FOI cost limits. However, since I withdrew part of my request in the course of the appeal to the Information Commissioner, and am no longer requesting presentations made to ISAP under this particular FOI request, I would expect that the remainder of my request can be accomplished within these limits.

Since the members of the panel, and in particular its chairman, remained in post throughout its entire existence, they should be able to provide you with these minutes from their own files, even if your records are in such disorder that you cannot.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Watson

7 Attachments

Dear Mr Watson,

Thank you for your email of 21 September. Please find a response attached.

<<Andrew Watson FOI 15904 further ISAP minutes.pdf>> <<March 08 ISAP
Minutes v1.00.pdf>> <<07.01.08 ISAP Minutes v1.0 doc.pdf>> <<Final IAP
minutes 5 March 07.pdf>> <<Final Minutes 231105.pdf>> <<Final Note 2nd IAP
Mtng.pdf>> <<IAP minutes 11 May 07 v0.05.pdf>>

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information Team

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