Legal cost of withholding information
Background:
It has been widely reported that the DWP has been forced to reveal the list of over 500 firms using benefit claimants for unpaid work after 4-year legal fight (with the DWP having no further appeal options left).
References:
Case ref Department for Work And Pensions v The Information Commissioner & Zola [2016] EWCA Civ 758 (27 July 2016)
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/...
The list of firms involved
http://freepdfhosting.com/16bc052519.pdf
My request:
Please kindly provide the total legal cost incurred by the DWP in trying to withhold this information from the public domain specifically within the realms of the request detailed here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/... (backup held here http://freepdfhosting.com/a453708a98.pdf )
Thanks,
James Powell.
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jimmy3 left an annotation ()
Legal cost incurred by DWP (taxpayer) £92, 249.86. This figure includes litigation costs as well as Counsel and court fees.
Answer goes on to state additional information which was not requested and moreover not agreed by the courts.
Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,
Thanks for providing the information I asked for. However you go on to make a claim which wasn't actually upheld by the courts thus it was hardly appropriate for you to repeat that same claim on your response.
Yours sincerely,
James.
jimmy3 left an annotation ()
The additional information provided which I didn't ask for (and which was dismissed as untrue by the courts) has now been reported to the ICO. DWP should not be presenting information dismissed as untrue by courts.
Frank Zola left an annotation ()
" The Department [DWP] challenged the decision to release the names of employers involved in the initiative to protect the employment schemes from the negative lobbying of a
small number of individuals who want to stop us helping people get into work."
Like the 600+ organisations who signed an agreement not to be involved in such workfare employment schemes? This "small number" can be seen at kvv.org.uk
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Frank Zola left an annotation ()
Suggesting asking ICO similar question and Government Legal Department https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/gove... https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/ico HMCTS https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/hmcts may also be able to give info on estimated or typical costs they incurred for the first tier tribunal, the upper tribunal and the court of appeal