Ann Brock
Date
29 May 2024
Post Office
100 Wood Street
request-1124861-
London EC2V 9ER
xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Your Ref:
Classification:
Public
Dear Ann Brock,
Freedom of Information Request – FOI2024/00718
We are writing in response to your email received by Post Office Limited (“
Post
Office”) on 29 April, which has been dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (“
FOIA”).
In your email you have requested the information shown verbatim in bold below:
“
Can you please confirm what date Rodric Wil iams - former Litigation Lawyer at
Post Office Ltd and current Head of Legal (Dispute Resolution & Brand)started
work at POL and what posts he has held, with dates when those positions were
held?”
We can confirm that we do hold information relevant to your request. However, Post
Office believes that the disclosure of the information requested would put at risk the
safety of employees. Post Office therefore relies upon the exemption provided in
section 38(1)(a) of the Act, concerning the Health and Safety of individuals.
As section 38(1)(a) of the FOIA is a qualified exemption, we have had to balance the
public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosure.
We recognise that there is a public interest in disclosure of information relating to
Post Office employees, including dates of employment and the positions held by em-
ployees. We particularly understand the public interest, given the Horizon IT Scandal
and the ongoing Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
Page 1 of 3
Post Office Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registered No. 2154540.
Registered Office 100 Wood Street, London WC2V 7ER
postoffice.co.uk
Post Office and the Post Office logo are registered trade marks of Post Office Limited.
However, Post Office believes that there is a high degree of risk attached to the dis-
closure of information concerning any individual and is clear that there is a strong
public interest in protecting the physical and mental wellbeing of its employees.
Given the recent intense public scrutiny of Post Office – including of past and pre-
sent employees via social media – there is a duty of care required of Post Office as
an employer, to ensure that information placed into the public domain under the Act
will not have a detrimental impact on the physical and mental health of an individual.
Placing the information, you have requested into the public domain, will increase the
likelihood of endangering the physical or mental health of these people, and this is
not in the public interest. Given there is a strong public interest in protecting the
safety of Post Office employees, in our opinion, the public interest therefore lies in
maintaining the exemption and withholding the requested information.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of this response, you do have a right to
request an internal review. You can do this by writing to the address above within 40
working days of receipt of this response stating your reasons for your internal review
request or alternatively, by emailing
xxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx. If, having requested an internal review by Post Office, you are still not satisfied with
our response you also have a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
www.ico.org.uk/foicomplaints
Yours sincerely,
Information Rights Team
xxxxxxxxxxx.xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xx.xx
https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/governance/access-to-information/access-to-
information/
Page 2 of 3
postoffice.co.uk
Classification
Post Office Limited is committed to protecting your privacy, information about
how we do this can be found on our website at www.postoffice.co.uk/privacy
Page 3 of 3
postoffice.co.uk
Classification
