Request for Information on GW Pharmaceuticals between 2015/2023

Cefyn Jones made this Freedom of Information request to Department for Business and Trade Automatic anti-spam measures are in place for this older request. Please let us know if a further response is expected or if you are having trouble responding.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Business and Trade,

Thank you for your response to FOI12023/07134.

I would like to start a new one if I may, which focuses on the time that BEIS was launched to the point where we are now after BEIS was split this year.

First, may I just draw your attention to the following file:

https://www.parallelparliament.co.uk/deb...

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Greg Clark) can be seen here on 05/12/2018 discussing investment into Pharmaceutical companies, as well as the strength of the partnership between the Government, the NHS and the life sciences sector making the UK a global standard bearer for discovery research and advanced manufacturing.

May I also draw your attention to the file below.

https://researchbriefings.files.parliame...

Page 7 is of interest (as is the document as a whole), where George Freeman stated "As part of BEIS work on regulation for innovation we are reviewing the TIGRR report and will be continuing delivery plans in due course.".

Subsequently, I would like to request all files, communications and information you have on GW Pharmaceuticals. This information should include and agreements, references to agreements, and any of the following words: Cannabis, cannabinoids, CBD.

The timeframe for this request is 01/01/2016 through to the present day (04/12/23

Yours faithfully,

Cefyn Jones

Information Rights Unit,

DBT ref: FOI2023/07809

Dear Cefyn Jones

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 4th
December. On behalf of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) your
request has been passed on to the appropriate official at DBT to process.

Your request is being considered under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and we will reply at the latest by 5th January.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact the Information
Rights Unit. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any
future communications.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Please see a link to o ur Privacy Notice:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Information Rights Unit,

1 Attachment

Dear Cefyn Jones ,

Please find attached a response from the Department for Business and Trade
to your freedom of information request FOI2023/07809.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building | London | SW1A
2DY | E-mail: [email address]

Dear Information Rights Unit,

I trust this finds you well.

I'm confused by this response - you say that there's no information, but there is.

You are also applying exemptions (Sect 12) on the basis of an 8 year timeframe whilst saying you have information, and your department has only been operating for a year.

Forgive me, but surely it would be fairly easy, and within cost limits, to provide what you do have over the near year that your department has been in operation?

On the basis of your reply, I would like to refine my FOI: Please can I have all files relating to GW Pharmaceuticals, from your department (DBT), from the point your department was created up to the present day (05/01/24).

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Information Rights Unit,

DBT ref: FOI2024/00129

Dear Cefyn Jones

Thank you for your request for information which was received on 5th
January. On behalf of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) your
request has been passed on to the appropriate official at DBT to process.

Your request is being considered under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and we will reply at the latest by 2nd February.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact the Information
Rights Unit. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any
future communications.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Please see a link to o ur Privacy Notice:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

Information Rights Unit,

Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

Dear Cefyn Jones,

We can confirm that the Department holds information falling within the
terms of your request. However, we need more time to consider your
request.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the Act') obliges us to respond to
requests promptly and in any case not later than 20 working days after
receiving your request. However, when a 'qualified' exemption applies to
the information and an accompanying public interest test is engaged,
section 10(3) of the Act allows the time for response to be extended, in
which case a full response must be provided within such time as is
reasonable in all circumstances. In the case of this FOI request, we are
considering section 43(2). However, this is not yet finalised and will be
subject to changes.

The Department has not yet reached a decision on the balance of the public
interest. Due to the need to consider, in all the circumstances of the
case, where the balance of the public interest lies in relation to the
information that you have requested, the Department will not be able to
respond to your request in full within 20 working days.

We hope to let you have a response by 1st March.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building| London SW1A
2DY
| E-mail: [email address]

[1]gov.uk/dit | [2]GREAT.gov.uk | [3]DIT Twitter | [4]DIT LinkedIn |
[5]Business is GREAT Facebook

References

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Information Rights Unit,

Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

Dear Cefyn Jones,

We can confirm that the Department holds information falling within the
terms of your request. However, we need more time to consider your
request.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the Act') obliges us to respond to
requests promptly and in any case not later than 20 working days after
receiving your request. However, when a 'qualified' exemption applies to
the information and an accompanying public interest test is engaged,
section 10(3) of the Act allows the time for response to be extended, in
which case a full response must be provided within such time as is
reasonable in all circumstances. In the case of this FOI request, we are
considering section 43 Commercial Interests. However, this is not yet
finalised and will be subject to changes.< /p>

The Department has not yet reached a decision on the balance of the public
interest. Due to the need to consider, in all the circumstances of the
case, where the balance of the public interest lies in relation to the
information that you have requested, the Department will not be able to
respond to your request in full within 20 working days.

We hope to let you have a response by 3rd April.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building| London SW1A
2DY
| E-mail: [email address]

[1]gov.uk/dit | [2]GREAT.gov.uk | [3]DIT Twitter | [4]DIT LinkedIn |
[5]Business is GREAT Facebook

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
2. http://www.great.gov.uk/?utm_source=staf...
3. https://twitter.com/tradegovuk
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/departm...
5. http://on.fb.me/1atEmJr

Dear Information Rights Unit,

Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

It's been over 20 days and I was wondering if a response to my FOI had been finalised.

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hi Cefyn Jones,

Our apologies for not getting a substantive reply to you by the allocated deadline.
We are working on the response and aim to get a reply to you at the earliest opportunity.

Regards

| FOI Adviser | Information Rights Team
| Old Admiralty Building | London | SW1A 2DY

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Information Rights Unit,

Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

Dear Cefyn Jones,

We can confirm that the Department holds information falling within the
terms of your request. However, we need more time to consider your
request.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the Act') obliges us to respond to
requests promptly and in any case not later than 20 working days after
receiving your request. However, when a 'qualified' exemption applies to
the information and an accompanying public interest test is engaged,
section 10(3) of the Act allows the time for response to be extended, in
which case a full response must be provided within such time as is
reasonable in all circumstances. In the case of this FOI request, we are
still considering section 43. However, this is not yet finalised and will
be subject to changes.

The Department has not yet reached a decision on the balance of the public
interest. Due to the need to consider, in all the circumstances of the
case, where the balance of the public interest lies in relation to the
information that you have requested, the Department will not be able to
respond to your request in full within 20 working days.

We hope to let you have a response by 1 May 2024..

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building| London SW1A
2DY
| E-mail: [email address]

[1]gov.uk/dit | [2]GREAT.gov.uk | [3]DIT Twitter | [4]DIT LinkedIn |
[5]Business is GREAT Facebook

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
2. http://www.great.gov.uk/?utm_source=staf...
3. https://twitter.com/tradegovuk
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/departm...
5. http://on.fb.me/1atEmJr

Dear Information Rights Unit,

Can I ask you to confirm whether your inhouse FOI team are dealing with this request, or whether a special advisor is handling it.

I ask for the sake of honesty and transparency in this process which I believe could have been completed by now.

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hi Cefyn Jones,

I acknowledge that this request is late in getting to you and well beyond the 20-working day turnaround to reply now, but it is being prioritised by the team.
The FOI team are processing it.

Regards

| FOI Adviser | Information Rights Team
| Old Admiralty Building | London | SW1A 2DY

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Dear FOI,

Can you please confirm that if you're waiting for confirmation of an exemption but that wait has gone beyond the time to reply as set out in the FOIA, I really should have had that response by now as it's not my fault that you're waiting?

Can you also confirm whether the 20 day wait is within legal parameters after your office failed to inform me of any extension within the specified times?

Also, can you please inform me how I would go about submitting an FOI for information that was held by BEIS?

Finally, I asked whether this FOI was being dealt with by a special advisor, but there was no response to that question, even though from what I see in government guidance on special FOI advisors, it's a valid and legitimate question. So can I ask again whether a special advisor is being consulted for this FOI request.

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hi Cefyn Jones,

We apologise for the delay in replying to you.
We acknowledge that the delay is outside the 20 day reply window and we are working to get this reply out to you along with working on the exemption(s)under the act for this request.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) was established in February 2023. DBT absorbed the functions of the former Department for International Trade (DIT) and some of the functions of the former Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
If you wish to submit a request to former BEIS, send it to DBT and we will reply as to whether it scope sits with us or another department which has taken on the duties of former BEIS.
I can confirm no special advisor is being consulted about this FOI at this stage.

Regards

FOI Adviser | Information Rights Team
| Old Admiralty Building | London | SW1A 2DY

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Dear FOI,

In regards to Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

I was under the impression that I would receive a reply to this FOI request today.

The FOI itself was submitted on 04/12/23, so forgive me, but I'd say you've spent enough time trying to determine what exemptions may or may not apply to the response.

So, can you please provide me with what you have in regard to the question that was asked?

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Dear FOI,

In regards to Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

You are now late to respond for a second time, only now, after prompting over a week ago, it appears that I'm being blanked.

So can you please tell me what is going on, and why I've recieved no response?

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hello Cefyn,

Our apologies for not getting back to you on FOI 2024.00129.
This is being processed and you should be hearing from us soon.
Again, our apologies for missing the deadlines for this request.

Regards

IRU Team / DBT

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Dear FOI,

With all due respect, I've heard 'coming soon' since February.

Now you're saying 'soon', but there's no date there, so can I ask, is soon today, or will I have to email you again in 20 working days?

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hi Cefyn,

If you could give us a week and if you haven't heard anything by close of play 17 May please contact us again.
I can confirm we are actively dealing with your request, and we apologise for the delay.

Regards

IRU Team

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Dear FOI,

Hi there, I know you said by the end of play today, but considering that the response time exceeds that allowed in the FOI and I had to chase up the last two times, I thought I'd email in and ask if we're looking good for a response today?

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Hi Cefyn,

I once again apologise for missing the deadline we gave to you.
I'll will get back to you with a substantive update as soon as possible.

Regards

IRU Team

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Subject: Urgent Follow-up on FOI Request - Case Reference: FOI2024/00129

Dear Information Rights Unit,

I trust this message finds you well.

I am writing to follow up urgently on my Freedom of Information request, Case Reference: FOI2024/00129, submitted on 5th January 2024. Despite numerous assurances and extended deadlines, I have yet to receive a substantive response.

Given the statutory timeframe for FOI responses has been significantly exceeded, I kindly request the following:

A clear and final response: Please provide a definitive date by which I will receive a complete response to my FOI request.

Clarification on exemptions: If exemptions under section 43 (Commercial Interests) or any other sections are being applied, please provide detailed reasons and a breakdown of the public interest test considerations that have been made.

Information on handling and delays: An explanation of why there have been such prolonged delays and what steps are being taken to prevent further delays.

Escalation process: Information on how I may escalate this matter within your department, including the contact details of the person or team responsible for handling escalations.

Interim disclosures: If full disclosure is not immediately possible, please provide any available information that can be disclosed now.

In the absence of a satisfactory response by 10/06/24, I will have no choice but to escalate this matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office for further review.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

To whom this may concern,

I have now submitted this FOI to the ICO due to non-compliance with the FOIA.

Forgive me for saying this, but it's ridiculous that you refused other FOI's I recently submitted by applying exemptions on the basis of them all focusing on the same topic, that being CBD and novel foods, but you can't find an exemption for DBT ref: FOI2024/00129, and have effectively tried to ignore my request after you realised that information would have to be supplied.

Please do correct me if that review of the situation differs in anyway to how your office sees it.

Yours sincerely,

Cefyn Jones

Dear Cefyn Jones,

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the delay in responding to your request FOI2024/00129. We would like to reassure you that we are working as quickly as possible to provide you with a response. Unfortunately, this has taken longer than expected due to the complexity of the case.

Please be advised that we hold some information in scope of your request and that some of this information is likely going to be withheld under the following exemptions under the Act:

Section 40 (personal information)
Section 41 (information provided in confidence) and Section 43 (commercial interests).

Yours sincerely, Information Rights Unit.

show quoted sections

Information Rights Unit,

3 Attachments

Dear Cefyn Jones ,

Please find attached a response from the Department for Business and Trade
to your freedom of information request FOI2024/00129.

Kind regards,

Information Rights Unit

Department for Business and Trade | Old Admiralty Building | London | SW1A
2DY | E-mail: [email address]