Mandatory Work Activity - Participating companies/businesses in Peterborough
Dear Department for Work and Pensions,
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I am writing to request the following information:
1. A list of companies and businesses in Peterborough, Cambs, that currently work with Peterborough Job Centre Plus with the Mandatory Work Activity Programme. The list required is with regards to work placements that take on Mandatory Work Activity volunteers/benefit claimants.
2. A breakdown of any financial remuneration to the above companies/businesses made on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions for the period of 01/04/2012 to 31/03/2013.
3. A breakdown of the number of people on Mandatory Work Activity Programme placed at each company/business.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Sarah Tomkins
This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.
By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct.
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.
[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
References
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1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
Please see the response to your Freedom of Information request reference
1615
DWP Freedom of Information Team
Dear DWP OPD COO FOI Requests,
I am now writing to you as you have now passed two deadlines for relpying to my foi request. The first deadline of 29th April 2013 was passed as you requested an extension (please see a quote taken from your last correspondence below)
"It is occasionally necessary to extend the 20 working day time limit for issuing a response. In the case of your request, we need to extend the time limit because the information requested must be considered under one of the exemptions to which the public interest test applies. This extra time is needed in order to make a determination as to the public interest."
With your quote (above) in mind may I draw your attention to the following link...
http://www.informationtribunal.gov.uk/DB...
in which shows that both the original Information Commissioner AND David Marks QC (Tribunal Judge)deem the information regarding 'Workfare' (and schemes of a similar nature)including charities and companies participating in such schemes as indeed 'in the publics interests'. I trust you will bear this in mind when replying to my request.
Unfortunately, If I do not hear from you by the end of the day on WED 5th June 2013, which will be 7 working days from now, I will have no option but to escalate this foi for an internal review. I trust I will not need to take this action.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Tomkins
Sarah Tomkins left an annotation ()
The second deadline has now passed, I have now written to remind them of this and have discussed the reason for their extended (yet failed) deadline which was to look further into whether it is in the public interest. I have helpfully enclosed the link to the recent Information Tribunal regarding 'workfare' and the public interest, where the Tribunal Judge upheld the Information Commissioner's decision that it is in the public's interest. I have given them the deadline of end of day on the 5th June 2013 (7 working days). I have informed them that I will escalate my foi for internal review if no reply is received.
Please find attached our response to your Freedom of Information review
request.
DWP Freedom of Information Team.
Gerald Jones left an annotation ()
Personally I would send a complaint to the ICO as the DWP has no grounds for delaying its response.
Sarah Tomkins
Please see attached letter regarding your recent Freedom of Information request.
Many Thanks
Business Management Team | Department for Work and Pensions | Contracted Customer Services Directorate | DWP Operations | Level 4 Rockingham House, 123 West Street, Sheffield S1 4ER | www.dwp.gov.uk | Please consider the environment before printing
Dear DWP CCSD Employment Programmes Correspondence,
This is unacceptable. Three times you have extended it for no valid reason. Please supply me with your reasons for not supplying me with the information requested and the name of the person(s) making the decision not to supply the information so I can escalate my complaint currently lodged with the ICO with further details. You have 5 working days to provide me with this.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Tomkins
Sarah Tomkins left an annotation ()
DWP will be receiving this email from the ICO today!
PROTECT
3rd July 2013
Case Reference Number FS50502047
Dear Sir/Madam
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’)
Complaint from Miss Sarah Tomkins
Information request reference FOI 1615
The Information Commissioner has received a complaint from the above party stating that there has been an unreasonable delay in carrying out a public interest test for this request. You can view a full history of the request via the following link:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/m...
Guidance
The Commissioner has issued guidance regarding the time limits on considering the public interest following requests for information. The Commissioner considers that public authorities should aim to respond fully to all requests within 20 working days. In cases where the public interest considerations are exceptionally complex it may be reasonable to take longer but, in our view, in no case should the total time exceed 40 working days.
A full copy of this guidance is available on our website at http://www.ico.org.uk/upload/documents/l....
Enforcement
The Commissioner is keen to ensure that the time taken in such cases is no more than is necessary and that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, these time limits are adhered to.
It is a requirement of section 17 of the Act for decisions on the balance of the public interest to be made within a reasonable time. Significant or repeated unreasonable delays in this context will be monitored by the Enforcement team and in some instances this may lead to structured intervention.
More detail about the Commissioner’s enforcement strategy can be found at http://www.ico.org.uk/what_we_cover/taki....
Actions
We would now ask that you respond within 20 working days of receipt of this email. You should either provide the information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the Act.
If you have already responded, and believe that your response should already have been received, we would recommend you contact the requester to confirm receipt.
If you need to contact us about this complaint please contact me on number below, quoting the reference number at the top of this email.
Yours sincerely
Mike Chamberlain
Case Officer
Access Rights Team
Information Commissioner's Office
01625 545512
Please see the attached letter regarding your Freedom of Information request.
Many thanks,
DWP Central FoI Team
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,
You were sent an email on 03/07/2013 from the ICO reading the following...
"PROTECT
3rd July 2013
Case Reference Number FS50502047
Dear Sir/Madam
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’)
Complaint from Miss Sarah Tomkins
Information request reference FOI 1615
The Information Commissioner has received a complaint from the above party stating that there has been an unreasonable delay in carrying out a public interest test for this request. You can view a full history of the request via the following link:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/m...
Guidance
The Commissioner has issued guidance regarding the time limits on considering the public interest following requests for information. The Commissioner considers that public authorities should aim to respond fully to all requests within 20 working days. In cases where the public interest considerations are exceptionally complex it may be reasonable to take longer but, in our view, in no case should the total time exceed 40 working days.
A full copy of this guidance is available on our website at http://www.ico.org.uk/upload/documents/l....
Enforcement
The Commissioner is keen to ensure that the time taken in such cases is no more than is necessary and that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, these time limits are adhered to.
It is a requirement of section 17 of the Act for decisions on the balance of the public interest to be made within a reasonable time. Significant or repeated unreasonable delays in this context will be monitored by the Enforcement team and in some instances this may lead to structured intervention.
More detail about the Commissioner’s enforcement strategy can be found at http://www.ico.org.uk/what_we_cover/taki....
Actions
We would now ask that you respond within 20 working days of receipt of this email. You should either provide the information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the Act.
If you have already responded, and believe that your response should already have been received, we would recommend you contact the requester to confirm receipt.
If you need to contact us about this complaint please contact me on number below, quoting the reference number at the top of this email.
Yours sincerely
Mike Chamberlain
Case Officer
Access Rights Team
Information Commissioner's Office
01625 545512"
The action they required was to either provide me with the required information or refuse the request (so I can take further action). There was no option of extending it yet again.
You have no legitimate reason for withholding this information so please either release this information or get in touch with the ICO.
I look forward to hearing from you with a decision.
Miss Sarah Tomkins
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Tomkins
Jim Otram left an annotation ()
Good one, Sarah T. I look forward to learning of further developments with interest.
It looks like the DWP is once again commencing the policy of flagrant disregard for statutory time-limits that got it placed in "special measures" by the ICO (which only expired relatively recently).
Time they were re-imposed.
Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,
Please note that I have today telephoned the ICO and left details of your extension request and lack of communication to my response. I am awaiting further advice on how to proceed.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Tomkins
Please see the attached reply to your Freedom of Information request
Yours sincerely
DWP Central FoI team
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Alf Denning left an annotation ()
Sadly it appears that the DWP only respond to IRR or complaints to the ICO. It rarely responds to simple messages as they don't count towards the statistics it has to send to the MoJ