Dear Cabinet Office,

I understand from a recent request to the DHSC that the PPE VIP lane email address given to MPs was "covid-ppe-priority-appraisals AT cabinetoffice.gov.uk".

Furthermore, I am told that Lord Deigton (Chair of the PPE Taskforce) "was not involved in the establishment or operation of the high priority lane". Also that "No instruction came from DHSC Ministers or the Permanent Secretary".

Given the email address is a cabinetoffice.gov.uk address, please could you disclose to me;-

1) The instruction given to Cabinet Office IT staff to create the email address "covid-ppe-priority-appraisals AT cabinetoffice.gov.uk".
2) The name of the Minister who was responsible for instructing & authorising the creation of the PPE VIP Lane email account
3) The invitation (perhaps as a circular, email, or poster) sent to Ministers, MP, and Lords to submit their recommendations to that email address

Yours faithfully,
P John

Dear Cabinet Office,

concerning my request "PPE Procurement VIP Lane", your response (which you told me I could expect on 24 May 'at the latest') has not been received.

For details, please see;
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/7...

Please could you provide the requested information immediately.

Yours faithfully,

P. John

Dear FOI Team Mailbox,

please can I chase progress on my FoIA request "PPE Procurement VIP Lane" (which you can see here; https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p... )

I'm not sure I understand why this comparatively simple request is taking you so long to answer.

Please could you tell me when I might expect your reply, given you are already breaking the law. Your response was due on 24 May 'at the latest'.

Yours sincerely,

P. John

Dear FOI Team Mailbox,

please can I - once again - chase progress on my FoIA request "PPE Procurement VIP Lane" (which you can see here; https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p... )

As stated previously I'm not sure I understand why this comparatively simple request is taking you so long to answer.

Please could you now disclose to me;-

1) The instruction given to Cabinet Office IT staff to create the email address "covid-ppe-priority-appraisals AT cabinetoffice.gov.uk".
2) The name of the Minister who was responsible for instructing & authorising the creation of the PPE VIP Lane email account
3) The invitation (perhaps as a circular, email, or poster) sent to Ministers, MP, and Lords to submit their recommendations to that email address

Please could you tell me when I might expect your reply, given you are already breaking the law. Your response was due on 24 May 'at the latest'.

Yours sincerely,

P. John

Dear FOI Team Mailbox,

please can I - yet again - chase progress on my FoIA request "PPE Procurement VIP Lane" (which you can see here; https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p... )

This is a straight forward request for specific documentation which I know you have to hand. There is simply no excuse for the continuing delay providing this information. You are breaking the law.

As a reminder, the FoIA even describes a criminal offence for concealing information. To quote ICO; "Section 77 of the FOIA states a person 'is guilty of an offence if he alters, defaces, blocks, erases, destroys or conceals any record held by the public authority, with the intention of preventing the disclosure by that authority of all, or any part, of the information to the communication of which the applicant would have been entitled.'"

I am entitled to see a copy of the information requested in my FoIA request, and was entitled by law to receive that information 20 days after it was first requested. Your failure to promptly provide that information will soon result in a criminal complaint to the ICO alleging that a section 77 offence has been committed.

Please could you now disclose to me;-

1) The instruction given to Cabinet Office IT staff to create the email address "covid-ppe-priority-appraisals AT cabinetoffice.gov.uk".
2) The name of the Minister who was responsible for instructing & authorising the creation of the PPE VIP Lane email account
3) The invitation (perhaps as a circular, email, or poster) sent to Ministers, MP, and Lords to submit their recommendations to that email address

Please could you tell me when I might expect your reply, given you are already breaking the law. Your response was due on 24 May 'at the latest'.

Yours sincerely,

P. John

Dear FOI Team Mailbox,

concerning my request "PPE Procurement VIP Lane" (https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...) a complaint has been handed to the ICO casework team, alleging a section 77 offence.

I would recommend you contact the ICO Casework team urgently to explain why this request has not been properly & lawfully addressed.

Yours sincerely,

P. John

Dear Cabinet Office,

many thanks for the information received, both the information you intended, and that which you did not but I have obtained regardless.

There was no justification for withholding this information on Data Protection Grounds; the people involved are Senior Government Officials.

Yours faithfully,

P. John