Nature of Tesco's involvement in Workfare/Community Action Programme

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

The Liverpool branch of IWW request information pertaining to the nature of Tesco PLC's involvement in the Community Action Programme, Help to Work scheme, and Community Work Placements.

Specifically, we would like to know:

For the period Jan 2011 - Present:
- How much Tesco pay participants further than JSA
- The number of participants in the scheme
- Rate of retention of Community Work Placement workers at the end of their CWP period in Tesco PLC positions 2011-2014
- Whether workers who are dismissed while in CWP have JSA or other State Benefits halted or docked.

Yours faithfully,
Daniel Moore
Fellow Worker
Liverpool Branch
Industrial Workers of the World

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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...
 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

DWP Strategy Freedom of Information, Department for Work and Pensions

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.

You can expect a reply by 05 December unless I need to come back to you to clarify your request or the balance of the public interest test needs to be considered.

If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely

Strategy Freedom of Information

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

Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act

If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailing [DWP request email] or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team, Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H 9NA. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office for a decision. Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF www.ico.gov.uk

show quoted sections

Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,

Dear Sir/Madam

Regarding your reply dated 11th November 2014 to the FOI request titled: 'Nature of Tesco's involvement in Workfare/Community Action Programme'

Your reply said; "If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above. "

Your reply did not appear to contain a reference number. I am using the service; "whatdotheyknow.com" to file my request, so this may be a client-side issue.

If you could respond to this communication with the reference number of my FOI request, I would be grateful.

Yours faithfully,

Daniel Moore
Fellow Worker
Liverpool Branch
Industrial Workers of the World

Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,

Regarding the FOI request: 'Nature of Tesco's involvement in Workfare/Community Action Programme'

Further to my FOI request of 08/11/2014
Further to your reply of 11/11/2014

I wish to clarify a part of my question.

I asked;

"- Whether workers who are dismissed while in CWP have JSA or other
State Benefits halted or docked."

I would like to know not only "Whether workers who are dismissed while in CWP have JSA or other State Benefits halted or docked."

I would also like to know "Whether workers who have participated in CWP, specifically with Tesco PLC have had JSA or other State Benefits halted or docked."

I appreciate your recent, quick reply regarding this matter.

Yours Faithfully,

Daniel Moore
Fellow Worker
Liverpool Branch
Industrial Workers of the World

DWP Strategy Freedom of Information, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear Daniel, the reference is in the subject box of the email - 4882

Many thanks

show quoted sections

DWP Strategy Freedom of Information, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear DanielMoore,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request. Please find enclosed our reply.

If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act

If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailing [DWP request email] or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team,
Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H 9NA. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office for a decision. Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
www.ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us or telephone 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745

show quoted sections

John Slater left an annotation ()

I have to wonder at the use of statutory exemptions by the DWP.

As all FOIA requests are taken on their own merits and are not binding on future requests (i.e. disclosing information about Tesco doesn’t mean that the DWP must disclose information about other suppliers) I struggle to see who s.29 applies.

S.36 is frequently used by the DWP. Given that Tesco is not the only provider of work placements is it really credible that disclosing information about it would adversely impact the whole work programme? I think citing s.36 is challengeable.

S.43 is another favourite of the DWP. Given that it is public knowledge that the work programme exists and that Tesco is one of the providers it is not unreasonable to question exactly what damage disclosure would cause. The damage needs to be realistic and likely to occur for this exemption to be engaged.

If it was my request I would complain to the ICO. It isn’t a huge amount of work and the ICO guidance published on its web site about each of the cited exemptions is very helpful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request 'Nature of Tesco's involvement in Workfare/Community Action Programme'.Reference number 4882.

My request was refused under "Section 36(2)(c) of the Act" said to "protect information which, in the reasonable opinion of a Minister
of the Crown, would be likely to damage the effective conduct of public affairs if disclosed."

Given that the request was specifically about Tesco PLC, I would question whether disclosure in this case would have an adverse effect on the whole programme.

Section 43(2) of the Act was also given as a reason to deny this request.
"if disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person, including the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)."

Tesco's involvement in this work program is public knowledge. The DWP's own Twitter disclosed Tesco's involvement. I would question what damage, exactly, would be caused by disclosure. The expected damage must be realistic.

A tweet confirming this, from the official DWP Press Office, is below.
https://twitter.com/dwppressoffice/statu...

"Tesco have said that they are continuing to be part of Government's work experience scheme."

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

Yours faithfully,

FW Daniel Moore

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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...
 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

Dear DWP Strategy Freedom of Information,

Further information about Tesco's continued involvement in the scheme is available via this Guardian article, indicating Tesco's desire to change the terms of the program to "Voluntary".

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012...

Yours sincerely,

FW Daniel Moore

Dear DWP freedom-of-information-requests,

FURTHER to information indicating Tesco's continued involvement in the scheme already being in the public domain; I have included a screengrab of a tweet by Tesco's official account indicating continued involvement in the scheme.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsXr4NwCIAAH...

Yours sincerely,

FW Daniel Moore

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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...
 

show quoted sections

References

Visible links
1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

Dear DWP freedom-of-information-requests,

As all FOIA requests are taken on their own merits

"Each request is considered on its own merits."
http://www.copfs.gov.uk/foi/foi

and decisions are not binding on future requests, I would question your referring to the Zola case in your reply.

"For information, DWP is appealing the decision in the Upper Tribunal in the Zola case (Appeal
Nos. EA/2012/0207, 0232 & 0233) you cite in your request. The exemptions above also
continue to apply to the information requested by Mr Zola. "

I did not actually cite the Zola case in my request. I appreciate this information regardless.

Yours sincerely,

FW Daniel Moore

DWP Strategy Freedom of Information, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear Daniel Moore,

Thank you for your Freedom of Information review request, and subsequent additional emails concerning the review.

Please note that it is our internal target to answer reviews within 20 working days unless I need to come back to you to clarify your request, or the balance of the public interest test needs to be considered which we will keep you informed about.

If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your right to complain under the Freedom of Information Act

If you are not happy with this response you may request an internal review by e-mailing [DWP request email] or by writing to DWP, Central FoI Team,
Caxton House, Tothill Street, SW1H 9NA. Any review request should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office for a decision. Generally the Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted our own complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
www.ico.org.uk/Global/contact_us or telephone 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745

show quoted sections

DWP Strategy Freedom of Information, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Please see the attached reply to your Freedom of Information request

Yours sincerely

DWP Strategy FoI team

show quoted sections