Official Secrets Act

Jack Cope made this Freedom of Information request to Royal Mail Group Limited
This authority is not subject to FOI law, so is not legally obliged to respond (details).
This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was successful.

Dear Royal Mail Group Limited,

I have heard that Royal Mail officials must enter/agree to the Official Secrets Act. If this is true then what effect does this have on Freedom Of Information? Also, what purpose is served by having postal workers enter such an act?

Yours faithfully,

Jack Cope

Royal Mail Group Limited

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Cope,

Thank you for your request for information received on 02 August 2012,
which we are considering under the Freedom of Information Act.  Under the
Act you should expect a reply from us to be sent by 31 August 2012, which
is twenty working days from receipt of your request.

If for any reason we are unable to provide you with a full response within
that time, we will contact you explaining the reasons for this and giving
a revised date by which we will reply.  

If in the mean time you have any questions or would like to contact us
about your request, please contact us by telephone (0114) 2414215 or
alternatively email or write to us at the address below.  Please be
assured that we are giving this our attention and will get back to you
shortly.

Yours sincerely

Kate Fearn
Company Secretary's Office
Information Rights Officer
[1][Royal Mail Group request email]

Information Rights Team
(Freedom of Information)
Royal Mail Sheffield
2nd Floor, Pond Street
Sheffield
S98 6HR

Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered in
England and Wales.
Registered number 4138203. Registered office at 100 Victoria Embankment,
LONDON, EC4Y 0HQ

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[Royal Mail Group request email]

Royal Mail Group Limited

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Cope,

Please find attached a response to your recent Freedom of Information
Request.

Yours sincerely

Kate Fearn
Company Secretary's Office
Information Rights Officer
[Royal Mail Group request email]

Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered in
England and Wales.
Registered number 4138203. Registered office at 100 Victoria Embankment,
LONDON, EC4Y 0HQ

Dear Ms Fearn

Thank you for your information, it was everything I was looking for. Do you have a copy of the text of the ‘Personal Declaration’ I can see? Thank you again.

Yours faithfully,

Jack Cope

Royal Mail Group Limited

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Cope.

Please find attached a response to your recent Freedom of Information
Request.

Yours sincerely

Kate Fearn
Company Secretary's Office
Information Rights Officer
[Royal Mail Group request email]

Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered in
England and Wales.
Registered number 4138203. Registered office at 100 Victoria Embankment,
LONDON, EC4Y 0HQ

Dear Ms Fearn,

Once again thank you for your assistance, I have all of the information I need now.

Yours faithfully,

Jack Cope

David Hooker left an annotation ()

Mr. Cope

Considering your recent FOI request to the Royal Mail, I would like to share an extract from from their 'Christmas 2012 Casual Terms of Engagement'. Their casual contracts could be the source of the rumours:-

31. Non-Disclosure Statement – Official Secrets Act and Confidential Information

31.1 My attention has been drawn to:

31.1.1 The provisions of the Official Secrets Act 1989 (the “Act”) and that under that Act it is a criminal offence for a Government Contractor (which means any person or body who is employed in the provision of goods or services for the Crown) including any employee of a Government Contractor, to:

31.1.1.1 disclose unlawfully any information obtained as a result of such work without authorisation, and

31.1.1.2 fail to safeguard or improperly retain or provide access to documents or articles containing information which it would be an offence under the Act to disclose.

31.1.2 The fact that I must not disclose to any other person, firm or company, or publish or broadcast or use for my own benefit any confidential and/or commercial information relating in any way to the activities, operations or business methods of the Royal Mail Group, or information obtained whilst engaged in Royal Mail Group’s Business except as previously authorised in writing by the Royal Mail Group. Any unauthorised disclosure may amount to a criminal offence.

31.1.3 I am fully aware that serious consequences may follow any breach of these provisions.

31.1.4 I understand that the provisions of the Official Secrets Act 1989 and requirements regarding confidential and/or commercial information may apply to me after my appointment has ceased. I hereby declare to surrender any document made or acquired by me owing to my official position, save such as I have Royal Mail’s written authority to retain.

David Hooker