Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,

Previous LGO Guidance on Investigations

This is a Request for Information concerning your website's above entitled page accessible online via the link below and the Guidance to which it refers.

http://www.lgo.org.uk/guidance-inv/

That page has now been updated since 14 February 2013, but had previously displayed the following message having previously not been updated since 13 April 2011:

"The entire 'Guidance on investigations' section of this website is internal guidance for LGO staff. We are making it available here for the information of website users. Some documents referred to are not available on this website.

This guidance is temporarily unavailable while it is being updated. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes."

Information Requested

Please communicate the following information promptly.

1. The entire unrevised 'Guidance on investigations' that had been available online and as it was prior to commencement of the revision process .

2. The documents referred to that had not been available on the website (preferably) or a list of them or both.

3. As fully and as precisely as possible: (a) the detailed reason(s) for the revision; (b) the date the decision to revise was taken; (c) who was chiefly involved in taking that decision; and (d) why the revision process has taken so long.

4. As fully and as precisely as possible: A detailed historical chronology and forward action plan with regard to request 3 above and extending to the newly proposed date for publication (1 April 2013).

5. The date the 'forward action plan' or any revision to it since 2013 or both came into existence.

6. As fully and as precisely as possible: (a) whether the 'Guidance on investigations' webpage is monitored; (b) how it is monitored; and (c) copy of internal LGO communications generated as result of or in response to such monitoring or a detailed record or similar of such communications or both.

7. Full website statistics tabulated specifically in relation to the 'Guidance on investigations' webpage for the period starting six months before the date identified in request 3(b) above and ending at the time you receive this request today. This requested information includes but is not limited to the numbers of visitors, ISP details, dates, times, viewing duration and so on.

Method of Communication

I wish the requested information to be communicated to me by emailing the electronic documents to me as email attachments on or via the WhatDoTheyKnow website. In addition, the information, including all metadata in relation to each electronic document file is to be supplied intact in the original or the version closest to the original document.

Section 10(1)FOIA

I am prepared to receive and would prefer the requested information to be communicated to me piecemeal if it is not all immediately available. This means that, in accordance with section 10 (1) FOIA, items that are readily accessible, such as identified in requests 1 and 2 above, should be communicated at once with the remainder to follow as and when it becomes available. This is without prejudice to your concurrent obligation to communicate a response in any event before the statutory time limit of 20 working days.

Section 12 FOIA

Please note, with reference to section 12 FOIA and the LGO's section 16 FOIA obligation to provide advice and assistance, if the cost of compliance exceeds or appears that it might exceed the appropriate limit, the paragraph numbered list above is in order of importance and I am willing to work on bringing the request and response within limit provided I am advised as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully

Roger John

Dear Local Government Ombudsmen,

For the avoidance of doubt, the website page to which I refer is entitled "LGO Guidance on Investigations" but I request information on the Previous LGO Guidance on Investigations ahead of the revised version to be published on 1 April 2013.

Yours faithfully,

Roger John

Dear Local Government Ombudsmen (Hilary Pook)

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Local Government Ombudsmen's handling of my FOI request 'Previous LGO Guidance on Investigations'.

You have failed to comply as per my specific request and with section 10 (1) FOIA in terms of items that are readily accessible, such as identified in requests 1 and 2 as previously stated.

The response to these at least were to have been communicated at once with the remainder to follow as and when it becomes available.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address:

http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/pr...

Yours faithfully

R John

Dear Ms Pook

Renewed Request for Internal Review

Thank you for your letter and other attachments of today.

With respect, I feel you are thinking about the issue I raise from the wrong starting point.

You seem to be focussed on how long you could take for yourself and the LGO in providing a response. The statutory duty is to communicate a response and/or the requested information immediately or as soon as you can AND in any event with 20 working days. The longstop 20 working day limit therefore does not absolve the LGO from that duty. My information request was made on 26 March 2013; and you have now responded only on 23 April. I believe you should have and could have communicated the response and information supplied today, or at least some of it, sooner.

Your Internal Review response should now at least include a full and precise explanation as to why you did not or could not supply the requested information or any of it almost immediately or sooner than you did. Especially so given I asked you to communicate to me piecemeal if you had to. I should be grateful if you would be specific and precise in terms of your dates.

Please note that I am complaining about this section 10 FOIA failure in any event and have not yet checked the completeness or not of the material you have communicated today. I reserve my rights in this regard.

Yours sincerely

Roger John