Misinterpretation Or Misrepresenation On Adoption Certificate

The request was successful.

Dear General Register Office,

Under the Freedom Of Information act 2000 (FOIA) i ask the following questions for recorded information from the General Registry Office.

1. With recorded information, where can it be seen what constitutes towards either a misinterpretation or misrepresentation on an adoption certificate. (What is the difference with regard to how the General Registry Office ascertains this)

2. With recorded information in mind, i would like to ask at what age would a child be expected to be informed or told or have their permission sought first prior to 'correcting/changing' any part of their details on their adoption certificate such as any of their name's (and therefore their identity in part) and when would this not apply.

3. With recorded information, can i be provided with the procedure as detailed at question number 2 and have this considered from potential parent(s) perspective with potentially parental responsibility then ask the same considered from adoptive parent(s) perspective.

4. With recorded information, how many times in the last 12 months has it come to the general registry office's attention that an error was made on an adoption order where a child's name details ( concerning their name either in part or full) and who could be traced on the said register for England & Wales, then can i ask the same where ones could not be traced if the latter is applicable.

5. With recorded information, where can i see what information shows if a child is in long term foster care (in relation to which type of certificate would be applicable in this situation) and then how many times in the last 12 months has it come to the general registry office's attention that a child first thought/believed to be adopted (as in believed by either the parent(s) or the adoptive parent(s)) was discovered to in fact be in long term foster care.

Yours faithfully,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
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• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
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certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

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1 Attachment

Dear M M Simmons

Further to your email below, please see the attached response to your information request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty's Passport Office

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Dear Her Majesty's Service,

Where I asked at question 3-

3. With recorded information, can i be provided with the procedure as detailed at question
number 2 and have this considered from potential parent(s) perspective with potentially
parental responsibility

Please can you provide me with (recorded if applicable)/or information for a) if the child is not yet 18 b) If the child is over the age of 18 and asks their potential parent(s) to find out the information on their behalf.

At question number 4 as part of your response-

It states ‘The General Register Office (GRO), which is part of Her Majesty’s Passport Office, holds the information requested,’ It then states ‘If you refine your request, so that it is more likely to fall under the cost limit, we will consider it.’ then it states ‘Please note that if you simply break your request down into a series of similar smaller requests, we might still decline to answer it if the total cost exceeds £600.’ It states ‘The costs do not include considering whether any information is exempt from disclosure, overheads such as heating or lighting, or items such as photocopying or postage.’

Refining my request-Under the freedom of information act 2000 and with recorded information, can I request that I receive information as already described (at question 4) as much as possibly can be done within the cost limit allowed (where I understand it will not be able to be done over the last 12 months, but can I request it to be considered being done under less months even if it is only over the last 6 months) bearing in mind I do-not recall reading/being informed specifically of the cost limit allowed. If I have read your response and ‘Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004’ and understood it correctly, I understand it is £450. If 6 months still exceeds cost limit where it states ‘The costs do not include considering whether any information is exempt from disclosure, overheads such as heating or lighting, or items such as photocopying or postage.’ With this taken into account also, I would like the information taking this too into account since I am not informed of what these extra costs are estimated to be.
(3) In the case of any other public authority, the appropriate limit is £450. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2004/...

Because I am not made aware of what all the costs with calculations mentioned would be, if I have over estimated at 6 months, I would be grateful for the information even if it is only for the last 3 months but just within what would not exceed the costs permitted so as it is allowed and can be done.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
form

• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
ordered from the General Registrar’s Office, please complete the
certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

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Dear M M Simmons

Thank you for your email below. Your request is being handled as a request
for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We will aim to send you a full response by  15 May 2017, which is twenty
working days from the date when we received your request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

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Date 4 May 2017

Dear M M Simmons

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Thank you for your email of 11 March.

Requests defined by the Section 12 cost limits are invalid under Section 8(1)(c) because their scope is determined by the extent of the record search the authority can carry out within
those limits, rather than the distinguishing characteristics of the information itself.

Unfortunately your request is defined by the Section 12 cost limit and is not valid under Section 8(1)(c) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We are therefore refusing your request because it does not meet the requirements for a request for information under the Act.

If you provide the timeframe you request covers, we will consider your request again. I would recommend that you provide a timeframe no larger than three months.

I can also confirm that as explained in our previous response the question you asked in question two would be a matter for the courts and we would therefore not hold any information on the issue.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

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Dear Her Majesty's Passport Office,

Thank you for your response on 4 May 2017. Where you stated 'Thank you for your email of 11 March, i can confirm that i am aware i responded on 11 April 2017 just for clarification.

I have looked at Section 8(1)(c) of the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 where it states '8 Request for information (1)(c) describes the information requested'

You then state 'If you provide the timeframe your request covers, we will consider your request again. I would recommend that you provide a timeframe no larger than three months.' I understand you are unable to help any further with question two as it would be a matter for the courts and that there would not be any information held on the issue by yourselves.

To refine my request, i would like to request under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000 and with recorded information the following-can I request that I receive information as already described (at question 4) over the last eleven weeks.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
form

• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
ordered from the General Registrar’s Office, please complete the
certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

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Dear M M Simmons

Thank you for your further email below. Your enquiry is being handled as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We will aim to send you a full response by 6 June 2017, which is twenty working days from the date when we received your request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty’s Passport Office

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Dear FOI,

I received an email on 13.05.2017 which states-

'General Register Office have delayed.

They have not replied to your FOI request Misinterpretation Or Misrepresenation On Adoption Certificate promptly, as normally required by law.

Click on the link below to send a message to General Register Office reminding them to reply to your request.

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/c/embiqqh...

-- the WhatDoTheyKnow team'

Can i remind you that you are late replying to my request, by law.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
form

• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
ordered from the General Registrar’s Office, please complete the
certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

show quoted sections

1 Attachment

Dear M M Simmons

Further to your email below, please find attached your information request.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty's Passport Office

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Dear Her Majesty's Passport Office,

Thank you for responding to my FOI Request on 5 June 2017

Where you stated-

'This information is, however, exempt from disclosure under the Data Protection Act 1998
as it could potentially be used to identify personal data related to an individual. Although
there were over 1500 records searched, as there were less than five records identified as
containing the information requested we are unable to disclose this information.'

I completely understand and respect the former and would just like to ask for clarification where it states ' as there were less than five records identified' if the information is stating that there were five records or if there were less than five records and if so, how many (without personal data released related to an individual which could potentially be used to identify their personal data)

In your response dated 5 June 2017 you stated-

'Your request has been handled as a request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOI) 2000.

4. With recorded information, how many times in the last 12 months has it come to
the general registry office's attention that an error was made on an adoption order
where a child's name details (concerning their name either in part or full) and who
could be traced on the said register for England & Wales, then can i ask the same
where ones could not be traced if the latter is applicable.

You refined your request on the 6 of May.

To refine my request, i would like to request under the Freedom Of Information Act
2000 and with recorded information the following-can I request that I receive
information as already described (at question 4) over the last eleven weeks.'

I had specifically stated/asked-

'how many times in the last 12 months' Then i had stated as you acknowledged-

'can I request that I receive information as already described (at question 4) over the last eleven weeks.'

Then aswell as the specific calculation i requested ('how many times') as described (which i will again ask and request under the Freedom Of Information Act 2000) can i request to be informed of what the calculation with costs were, mentioned to me about previously; to carry out my current FOI request search for answers (for question 4, where i refined my request) before closing off my request.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
form

• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
ordered from the General Registrar’s Office, please complete the
certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

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Dear M M Simmons,

Thank you for your below email, I can confirm that there were less than five records.

Yours sincerely

Her Majesty's Passport Office

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Dear FOI,

Following on from the response i received on 12th June 2017, where i requested data statistics (in relation to the latter of my request) under the Freedom Of Information act 2000 (FOIA) and not for personal data, i have not received all my information. I have received a rough estimate only. (Where it states 'less than five.')

May i request an Internal Review into the data statistics i requested and the costs of carrying out my request as acknowedged/responded to more recently on on 11th June 2017 if this latter (costs) can be provided.

I can confirm that i did not ask for how many times has it 'not' come to the general registry office's attention where i appear to have been given potentially extra information, and i had only asked how many times it 'has' come to the general registry office's attention where it then states-

'that an error was made on an adoption order where a child's name details (concerning their name either in part or full) and who could be traced on the said register for England & Wales, then can i ask the same
where ones could not be traced if the latter is applicable.'

(Section 35 (2) (a) (b) dpa 1998)

Where it states-

'then can i ask the same where ones could not be traced if the latter is applicable.' I can confirm i meant i was requesting the information for ones where there has been no success with tracing on the England & Wales register. Then it states-

'if the latter is applicable.'

(Section 35 (2) (a) (b) dpa 1998) I confirm that even where i previously have not provided (Section 35 (2) (a) (b) dpa 1998) legislation, i have not received all my information accurately as i should have done; which is misleading as the response is potentially left open to misrepresentation due to already being difficult to interpret the true data statistics requested. ( I.e: It could be four, three, two or one)

I can imagine one reason i would not be sent the costs potentally, is if the answer were none or if the data i requested was not sought. Although i have not been informed it was not sought and i would have thought i would have therefore been informed if the answer was none, that it was none.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

If your enquiry falls within the remit of a Freedom of Information request
Her Majesty’s Passport Office will send you an acknowledgement within the
next 2 working days.

If your enquiry does not fall within the Freedom of Information remit this
will not be forwarded or responded to. Therefore please contact the
appropriate department listed below:

• For a passport enquiry or complaint, please complete an online enquiry
form

• If your enquiry or complaint relates to a certificate which you have
ordered from the General Registrar’s Office, please complete the
certificate service order enquiries form.

• If your request is for information relating to your data held by Her
Majesty’s Passport Office or an individual it falls under the terms of the
Data Protection Act 1998 and may qualify as a Subject Access Request,
please email [email address]

• If your enquiry relates to nationality you should forward your enquiry
to the UK Visas and Immigration enquiry team who are better placed to
respond, please email    [email address

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FOI Requests, General Register Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your Internal Review request.

This has been assigned to a caseworker and we will aim to send you a full response by 11/07/2017 which is twenty working days from the date we received your request.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards
R Patel

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Dear R Patel,

Thank you for contacting me on 12 June 17.

You stated-

'This has been assigned to a caseworker and we will aim to send you a full response by 11/07/2017 which is twenty working days from the date we received your request.'

I have updated the status of my request and have read an update at the top of my request-

'Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, General Register Office should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.'

I have also read-

'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40... FOI failings at the heart of government'

I am conscious that this request is long overdue and by law. I should have received a response by now.

I wish to be updated how much longer it will be before i receive a response.

Yours sincerely,

M M Simmons

FOI Responses, General Register Office

1 Attachment

Dear Sir/Madam

Please find response to your Internal Review attached.

Kind regards

Home Office

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Dear S Mason,

Thank you for carrying out my Internal Review and reconsidering. I am happy i have been provided with the answers now the best i can be taking everything into account.

Kind Regards

M M Simmons

FOI Responses, General Register Office

This mailbox does not accept incoming messages. Any FOI requests or
inquiries should be sent to [1][email address].

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References

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Dear Home Office,

Thank you.

Kind Regards

M M Simmons

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