Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0EU
www.gov.uk/dhsc
Mr Roger Tuckett
By email to
: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
15 July 2022
Dear Mr Tuckett,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1410019
Thank you for your request dated 26 June to the Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC), a copy of which can be found in the accompanying annex.
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
DHSC does not hold the information you have requested as our response is not yet
complete.
However, once complete, it would be withheld under section 32(1)(a) of the FOIA (Court
Records), which exempts from disclosure information held by virtue of being contained in
any document filed with, or otherwise placed in the custody of, a court for the purposes of
legal proceedings.
Reports required in connection with sections 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations)
Regulations 2013 are clearly intended to be part of the ‘practice and procedure of coroner
investigations’, and are therefore court documents, prepared specifically for a coroner’s
investigation and fall within the exemption in section 32(1)(a). This is an absolute
exemption and, therefore, not subject to a public interest test.
The publication of Prevention of Future Deaths reports, and DHSC’s response, is a matter
for the Chief Coroner under the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. Reports are
published by the Chief Coroner on the Courts and Judiciary website
at
https://www.judiciary.uk/related-offices-and-bodies/office-chief-coroner/https-www-
judiciary-uk-subject-community-health-care-and-emergency-services-related-deaths/. If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to appeal by
asking for an internal review. This should be sent to
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or
to the address at the top of this letter and be submitted within two months of the date of
this letter.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may complain directly
to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Generally, the ICO cannot make a
decision unless you have already appealed our original response and received our internal
review decision. You should raise your concerns with the ICO within three months of your
last meaningful contact with us.
Guidance on contacting the ICO can be found at
https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us and
information about making a complaint can be found a
t https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Team
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx
Annex
From: Roger Tuckett
<xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx> Sent: 26 June 2022 06:00
To: FreedomofInformation <xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Response to PFD Report re case of Zoe
Zaremba
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
Please provide a copy of your Response to the Notice to Prevent Future Deaths Report
(ref: 2022-0117) date 25th April 2022 made by Assistant Coroner John Broadband in the
case of Zoe Zaremba deceased, addressed to "Gillian KEEGAN, Minister of State for Care
and Mental Health with lead on suicide prevention" and three others.
Yours faithfully,
Roger Tuckett
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Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx