Operation Christmas Child / Samaritan's Purse

The request was successful.

Dear Stirling Council,

Many schools collect gifts for the evangelical US organisation Samaritan’s Purse. The gifts are distributed under the charity’s ‘Operation Christmas Child’ shoebox scheme.

For this year's appeal ( ending December 2015) and for any previous years for which you have information, please supply:

1. Which schools have collected for Samaritan's Purse / Operation Christmas Child
2. The amount of cash, number of shoeboxes, or other records of what donations have been collected
3. A copy of all information or consent sheet supplied to / received from parents
4. A copy of all internal information (such as correspondence to/from Operation Christmas Child or Samaritan's Purse, meeting minutes, etc) regarding allowing Operation Christmas Child to collect from schools
5. A copy of all information showing whether schools, parents, council officers or councillors were aware or unaware of Samaritan's Purse stated evangelical, anti-Islamic and homophobic policies.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Carter

FOI FOI, Stirling Council

Dear Mr Carter

Your request for information has been logged and a response will be
issued no later than 31/12/15.

The request has been allocated reference: FOI/8000.

Yours sincerely

Fiona McCallum

Records & Information Compliance Team
Stirling Council
Stirling FK8 2ET
01786 233988
[Stirling Council request email]

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Doreen Smyth, Stirling Council

Dear Mr Carter
 
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland)
Act.
 
In regard to Q1 - Q4 we do not collect the information you have requested,
consequently in terms of Section 17 (Notice that information is not held)
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 we do not hold the
information you seek.
 
Q5 There is no information held showing schools, parents, council officers
were aware or unaware of Samaritan's Purse stated evangelical,
anti-Islamic and homophobic policies. 
 
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which your request for information
has been dealt with you are entitled to request a review of the actions
and decisions made by the Council in relation to your request.  Your
request for review must be in writing or some other permanent form stating
your name and address for correspondence, and specifying the request for
information to which your request for review relates and why you are
dissatisfied with the response.
 
You must make your request for review not later than 40 working days after
the expiry of the 20 working day period of response to your initial
request by the Council or not later than 40 working days after the receipt
by you of the information provided, any fees notice issued or any
notification of refusal or partial refusal.
 
Your request for review should be addressed in the first instance to:
Records & Information Compliance Manager, Stirling Council, Viewforth,
STIRLING FK8 2ET email: [1][Stirling Council request email]
 
The Records & Information Compliance Manager will then arrange for an
appropriate officer to undertake a review.
 
Please note that in any email you must state your name.
 
If you are dissatisfied with how your request for a review has been dealt
with, then you are entitled to ask the Scottish Information Commissioner
to investigate your case.   You must ask the Scottish Information
Commissioner no later than 6 months after the date of receipt by you of
the notice or decision you are dissatisfied with or within 6 months of the
expiry of the period of 20 working days from receipt by the Council of
your request for review.  You should write to:
 
The Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS, Tel: 01334 464610  Email:
[2][email address]
 
You may also appeal against a decision of the Scottish Information
Commissioner but on a point of law only.  Any such appeal must be made
within 42 days of the date of intimation of the Commissioner's decision
notice
Regards
Doreen 
 
Doreen Smyth
Education Business Officer
Children, Young People and Education
Rm G27, Municipal Buildings
8-10 Corn Exchange Road
Stirling
FK7 2HU
Tel: 01786 233222
Email: [3][email address]
 

>>> Mr Carter <[FOI #305349 email]> 01/12/2015
21:16 >>>
     Dear Stirling Council,
    
     Many schools collect gifts for the evangelical US organisation
     Samaritan’s Purse. The gifts are distributed under the charity’s
     ‘Operation Christmas Child’ shoebox scheme.
    
     For this year's appeal ( ending December 2015) and for any previous
     years for which you have information, please supply:
    
     1. Which schools have collected for Samaritan's Purse / Operation
     Christmas Child
     2. The amount of cash, number of shoeboxes, or other records of
     what donations have been collected
     3. A copy of all information or consent sheet supplied to /
     received from parents
     4. A copy of all internal information (such as correspondence
     to/from Operation Christmas Child or Samaritan's Purse, meeting
     minutes, etc) regarding allowing Operation Christmas Child to
     collect from schools
     5. A copy of all information showing whether schools, parents,
     council officers or councillors were aware or unaware of
     Samaritan's Purse stated evangelical, anti-Islamic and homophobic
     policies.
    
     Yours faithfully,
    
     Mr Carter
    
     -------------------------------------------------------------------
    
     Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
     [FOI #305349 email]
    
     Is [Stirling Council request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
     requests to Stirling Council? If so, please contact us using this
     form:
    
[4]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/change_re...
    
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     If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your
     web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
    
    
    

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Dear Doreen Smyth,

You state you do not collect the information requested for q. 1-4.

Please review your response.

Does this mean that there definately have been NO collections for Operation Christmas Child, or that there MAY have been collections but schools may have carried out this type of activity without maintaining any records whatsoever?

There is a difference between collecting information (even if that collection is empty) and not collecting information.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Carter

Doreen Smyth, Stirling Council

Thank you for contacting me. I will be out of the office until Tuesday 5 January and will respond to your email/enquiry on my return.

Doreen Smyth
Education Business Officer
Children, Young People and Education
Rm G27, Municipal Buildings
8-10 Corn Exchange Road
Stirling
FK7 2HU
Tel: 01786 233222
Email: [email address]

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FOI FOI, Stirling Council

Dear Mr Carter

We have received your request for review relating to your recent
request for information, logged by us as FOI/8000

The review must be completed within 20 working days, in this case no
later than 26/01/16

The Review Officer undertaking the review will be in touch in due
course.

Yours sincerely

Fiona McCallum

Records & Information Compliance Team
Stirling Council
01786 233988
[Stirling Council request email]

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Dear FOI FOI,

Your system confirmed receipt of this request on 23 Dec.

The fact that you were away from your desk does not affect the 'working days' calculation under FOI legislation. This request is now overdue. Please review and answer the original request and account for the delay.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Carter

Lynette Paterson, Stirling Council

Dear Mr Carter
 
I refer to your email of 30 January 2016 regarding your request for review
under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 for information
relating to Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child shoebox
collections within Stirling Council's area.
 
I acknowledge that a response was due on 26 January 2016 but unfortunately
it is taking longer than anticipated to fully investigate and respond to
your request.  Please accept my apologies for this delay, I would hope to
be able to send you a response by 5 February 2016.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
Lynette Paterson
Quality Officer
Communities & Partnerships
My days of work are Wednesday - Friday. I will contact you as soon as
possible if you get in touch on a day I am not here.

show quoted sections

Lynette Paterson, Stirling Council

Dear Mr Carter

 

 

I write further to my email of 2 February 2016 apologising for the delay
in responding to your request for review. The response had been due by 26
January 2016 but was not able to be completed within the statutory
response period. I am grateful for your patience and understanding in this
regard.

 

Section 21 (4) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 sets out
the options available to a Scottish public authority upon receipt of a
requirement for review.  The authority may, as respects the request for
information to which the requirement relates:-

 

(a)  confirm a decision complained of, with or without such modifications
as it considers appropriate;

(b)                  substitute for any such decision a different
decision; or

(c)                  reach a decision, where the complaint is that no
decision had been reached.

 

In undertaking this review, I have considered the scope of your initial
information request, the Council’s response of 15 December 2015 and the
reasons for dissatisfaction highlighted in your email of 23 December
2015.  I have also considered the legislation and any relevant decisions
and guidance issued by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

 

The reply issued by the Council stated that the information was not held,
under Section 17 of the Act. You sought a review expressing
dissatisfaction with this response and seeking clarification.

 

As part of this review, I have spoken to officers within Children, Young
People & Education Service to ascertain whether there is any requirement
to hold a centralised record of the information sought under the scope of
your request.  Those enquiries have confirmed that there is no statutory
requirement to keep any records of projects undertaken in individual
schools, nor is there any current system or reporting process in place.

 

I have also made direct enquiries with the 40 primary and 7 secondary
schools within the Stirling area to identify whether each establishment
has had any involvement with ‘Samaritan’s Purse’ or ’Operation Christmas
Shoe Box’.  With the exception of two primary schools, all have responded
to state they have not had any involvement with this organisation. The two
schools that did recall historical collections dated back over 5 years ago
but no recorded information is held.

 

Upon considering the responses received and having satisfied myself that
all relevant enquiries have been made, it is my belief that the
information you requested is not held by the Council and on that basis, I
uphold the Council’s decision of 15 December 2015 that the exemption at
Section 17 of the Act does apply - (Section 21 (4) (a) of the Act).

 

If you are dissatisfied with how this review has been dealt with, you
should contact the Scottish Information Commissioner no later than 6
months after the date of receipt by you of the notice or decision you are
dissatisfied with; or within 6 months of the expiry of the period of 20
working days from receipt by the Council of your request for review. 

 

You should write to:

 

The Scottish Information Commissioner

Kinburn Castle

Doubledykes Road

St Andrews

Fife

KY16 9DS

(Tel 01334 464610)

 

Email: [email address]

 

You may also appeal against a decision of the Scottish Information
Commissioner but on a point of law only.  Any such appeal must be made
within 42 days of the date of intimation of the Commissioner’s decision
notice.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Lynette Paterson

Quality Officer

Communities and Partnerships

 

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Dear Lynette Paterson,

Thank you for your response.

"With the exception of two primary schools, all have responded
to state they have not had any involvement with this organisation. The two
schools that did recall historical collections dated back over 5 years ago
but no recorded information is held."

summarises the information that was required by the original request.

Yours sincerely,

Mr Carter

Dunblane Primary School,

 

Good afternoon Mr. Carter

 

Thank you for your email.

 

We definitely have no involvement in this.

 

Pat Donald, Principal Teacher.