Information Governance
Community & Communications  Services
Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL
Telephone:    023 9268 8482
                                               

                                                                       
 
Reference: FOI2018/558
 
Dear Mr Davies
 
 
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 17th April 2018.
 
Your request is being considered and, subject to the points made below,
you will receive the information requested as promptly as possible within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
 
If we need to obtain more information from you in order to understand what
information you require, we will contact you. If this is the case, the 20
days time limit will not commence until your request has been clarified.
 
The Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of certain
information.  The City Council will consider whether any of these
exemptions apply and, where required by the Act, whether it is in the
public interest to release the information.  If we have to make a public
interest test, the 20 day time limit might be extended. We will inform you
if the time scale has to be extended and if any information is withheld
and of your rights of appeal.
 
The City Council would like to make you aware that disclosure of
information obtained through FOIA is a disclosure into the public domain.
 
The City Council’s standard approach is to provide the information in the
form in which we hold it.  If you require alternative formats, e.g. audio,
large print, etc. or a different language, please let me know and we will
provide it if reasonably practicable to do so. If your request is a
question and we do not hold the answer in recorded form we will try and
provide an answer where we are able unless it requires the creation of new
information.
 
There may be a fee payable for this information request and we will send
you a Fees Notice if this is the case. Any fee must be paid before the
request is provided.  The time between the issue of the Fees Notice and
receipt of payment is excluded from the calculation of the 20 working day
time limit.
 
Any personal information you provide in relation to this request will only
be used for the purposes of processing your request for information.
 
If you have any queries or concerns then please contact the Corporate
Information Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices,
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AL, telephone 023 9268 8482,
e-mail [1][email address].
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
                                                                                               
           
 
Wendy Burton
FOI Officer
 
 

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Information Governance, Community & Communications Service
Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL
Telephone:    023 9268 8482
 
 
Our Ref: FOI2018/558
 
Dear Mr Davies
                                   
INFORMATION REQUEST – FOI2018/558 - Tobacco Investments held by Local
Authority Pension Fund
 
Thank you for your request for information received on 17th April 2018,
which was considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 
 
In accordance with the Act, Portsmouth City Council confirms it holds the
information in part.
 
 
YOUR REQUEST AND OUR RESPONSE:
 
I am seeking information about the value of the local authority pension
fund’s investment in tobacco shares and bonds, as well as the income from
those investments. Please provide whatever answers you can to the
following.

1. What is the most recent available value of the local authority's
pension fund?

2. What is the value of the fund’s directly-held investment in shares or
bonds of the following companies: British American Tobacco, Imperial
Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris
International, Universal Corp, Alliance One International?

3. What is the total combined value of the fund’s directly-held
investments in the companies named above?

4. What income did the fund receive from these investments in the last
12-month period for which records are available?

5. Does the fund have any other investments in tobacco via pooled
investments? What is the value of these?
 
Please note that Portsmouth City Council does not hold information in
relation  to questions 1 - 5. We understand that this information is in
fact held by Hampshire Pension Fund.

6. What is the local authority’s annual spend on smoking-related illness?
 
Portsmouth City Council's Public Health spend on smoking is publicly
available information that can be found following the link below:

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
 
Portsmouth City Council has engaged an FOI exemption in accordance with
section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act – information accessible by
other means.
7. Please supply the number of deaths attributable to smoking in the local
authority areas covered by your pension fund. Your Director of Public
Health or equivalent should be able to supply this figure.
 
The estimated number of deaths can be found on PHE's Local Tobacco Control
Profile. An estimated 945 deaths attributable to smoking over a three year
period (2014-16):
[2]https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/to...
 
 
Under the Re- Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (SI
2015/1415) the supplied information may not be re-used without obtaining
the permission of Portsmouth City Council.
 
We trust that our response fulfils your request, however, you have the
right to appeal against this decision or to complain about our treatment
of your request.  If you wish to do so, please set out in writing your
grounds of complaint and send to the Corporate Information Governance
Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square,
Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AL, telephone 023 9268 8482, e-mail
[3][email address].
Should you be dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaints decision you
may wish to follow the Portsmouth City Council’s Compliments and
Complaints procedure which can be found on the Portsmouth City Council
website or by contacting the Civic Offices.
 
Once these processes have been exhausted you have a further right of
appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
 
Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner
at:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
[4]https://ico.org.uk
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
Natasha Downer
Corporate Information Governance Officer
 

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