Translink Service Agreement Monitoring

Dear Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland),

I understand that monitoring of the Translink Service Agreement (Oct 2015) is undertaken by review of a monthly report submitted by Translink which includes performance information directly related to the agreement. Furthermore, the Service Agreement is a standing agenda item at the bi-monthly monitoring meetings between the Department and senior Translink executives.

I would like you to provide copies of all performance reports submitted to date.

I would also like you to provide a copy of the annual performance report for the six months from the commencement of the agreement in October 2015 to 31 March 2016. You will note that you advised in December 2016 that "An annual performance report for the six months from the commencement of the agreement in October 2015 to 31 March 2016 is to be published in the near future."

Yours faithfully,

Robert Laverty

Dear Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland),

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland)'s handling of my FOI request 'Translink Service Agreement Monitoring'.

The Service Agreement which the Department directly awarded to Translink in Oct 2015 gave Translink an effective monopoly over all bus and rail public transport services in Northern Ireland.

It is clearly against the public interest for the Department to seek to withhold the information requested relating to how it monitors a public body such as Translink in its performance in an Agreement entailing hundreds of millions in tax payers’ subsidies – particularly given that contract was directly awarded without going out to tender.

The information requested is clearly germane to the Department’s effective discharge of the Service Agreement and its performing of its obligations under the Service Agreement.

Furthermore, the confidentiality clause within the PSA to which you refer is limited to “Confidential Information”. The information sought clearly does not meet the definition of ‘Confidential Information’ in general or of that laid out in paragraph 25.1 of the agreement. The information requested is limited to monthly performance reports which are unlikely to contain any confidential information relating to processes, plans, know-how, design right, trade secrets, business affairs, etc.

The Translink KPI information you have sought to refer me to is not the information requested. Your response indicates that the Department holds the information requested and, as such, it should provide the information without delay and in accordance with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.

I would also bring to your attention the Department’s previous response to an FOI requesting the same information be provided. (Your Reference: DFI/2016-0292; Date: 21 December 2016; FOI Requestor: Mr Young)

“In response to your questions I can advise that monitoring of the agreement is undertaken by review of a monthly report submitted by Translink which includes performance information directly related to the agreement. Further the Service Agreement is a standing agenda item at the bi-monthly monitoring meetings between the Department and senior Translink executives.

An annual performance report for the six months from the commencement of the agreement in October 2015 to 31 March 2016 is to be published in the near future.”

It is now almost 4 years since the Department provided the above response in relation to a formal request for information under the Freedom of Information Act. The Department provided a formal written response that the information requested would be “published in the near future”

Publish: transitive verb. 1a : to make generally known. b : to make public announcement of. 2a : to disseminate to the public.

Again, as above, your response indicates that the Department holds the information requested and, as such, it should provide the information without delay and in accordance with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/t...

Yours faithfully,

Robert Laverty

Dear DfI Translink Sponsor Unit,

I would like an update on my FOI request

Yours sincerely,

Robert Laverty