Twitter coverage of Immigration Offenders

The request was partially successful.

Dear Home Office,

This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act.

On the 1st of August 2013, the department's Twitter account (@ukhomeoffice) posted a number of messages about arrests of suspected immigration offenders using the hashtag #immigrationoffenders.

Please could you provide me with:
1. Any minutes, notes or emails related to the composition, approval or discussion of those tweets
2. The grade and role of any civil servant or minister who approved either the tweets (either individually or in aggregate)
3. Any specific guidance provided to staff when tweeting about crime and immigration related matters (note I am not seeking generic guidelines on civil service use of Social Media).

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully,

Alex Brown

FOI Requests, Home Office

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FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Alex,

 

Please find attached a response to your Freedom of Information request.

 

Regards

 

Information Access Team

 

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Wayne Pearsall left an annotation ()

This post here is SO relevant: http://paulbernal.wordpress.com/2013/08/...

Marcin Musial left an annotation ()

The deadline is tomorrow. Bet that they won't respond, anyone?

Marcin Musial left an annotation ()

... And the deadline passed. No response. As expected.

Dear FOI Responses,

This response is now significantly overdue. I would also remind you you are legally required to release any material not subject to consideration under S36 immediately.

Please respond with the information I have requested as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Brown

FOI Responses, Home Office

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Wayne Pearsall left an annotation ()

Resend the message. When you click reply is wise to always select the main foi contact from the list.

Dear Home Office,

This response is now significantly overdue. I would also remind you
you are legally required to release any material not subject to
consideration under S36 immediately.

Please respond with the information I have requested as soon as
possible.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Brown

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the FOI Requests mailbox.

Your message has been logged and will be dealt with shortly.

We aim to provide a response to all FOI requests within 20 working days.

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Thank you.

 

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FOI Requests, Home Office

Alex Brown

 

Thank you for contacting the Home Office with your request. This has been
assigned to caseworker S Snowsell (ref 28484).

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

FOI Requests

Home Office

 

 

From: Alex Brown [mailto:[FOI #172138 email]]
Sent: 05 October 2013 02:22
To: FOI Responses
Subject: Freedom of Information request.

 

 

 

Dear FOI Responses,

 

This response is now significantly overdue. I would also remind you you
are legally required to release any material not subject to consideration
under S36 immediately.

 

Please respond with the information I have requested as soon as possible.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Alex Brown

 

 

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Marcin Musial left an annotation ()

Six days after their own deadline - still no response

FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Hello,

 

Please find attached response to your time complaint regarding your FOI.

 

Regards

 

S.Snowsell

Home Office

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Marcin Musial left an annotation ()

As soon as possible means when...?

Dear Home Office,

A further two weeks has passed since your Internal Review agreeing that my request had not been responded to within the legal time limits. As you are in continued breach of the Act, please respond urgently.

I have also informed the ICO of this continued breach.

Yours faithfully,

Alex Brown

FOI Requests, Home Office

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FOI Responses, Home Office

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Alex Brown

Please find attached correspondence regarding your FOI request

 

 

Diana Pottinger

Information Access Team

Information Management Services

Shared Services Directorate

Financial & Corporate Services Group

Ground Floor Seacole

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DW

 

 

Please note that any futher correspondence should be sent to 
[1][Home Office request email]  not FOI responses.

 

 

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Marcin Musial left an annotation ()

I was under impression they were going to answer by 14th November?

Dear Home Office,

I note with disappointment that you have yet again missed your own target date for providing me a full response and continue to be in significant breach of the Freedom of Information Act.

I request that you conduct another internal review to determine why you are continuing to break the law in this matter.

I also expect you to immediately release any information that you are not considering for exemption and provide an definitive date for the determination of this case.

Yours faithfully,

Alex Brown

FOI Requests, Home Office

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FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Mr Brown

Please find attached a response to your FOI request.  I am sorry that
there has been a delay in providing you with a response.

 

 

Diana Pottinger

Information Access Team

Information Management Services

Shared Services Directorate

Corporate Services

Ground Floor Seacole

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1P 4DW

 

 

Please note that any futher correspondence should be sent to 
[1][Home Office request email]

not FOI responses.

 

 

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Dear Home Office,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Home Office's handling of my FOI request 'Twitter coverage of Immigration Offenders'.

In particular I wish you to re-examine the S36 exemption. The reasons for the exemption are given only in the most general terms and identify no real or specific risks related directly to my request. It appears that a decision to withhold has been made, and then S36 excuses have been applied to justify this decision.

The idea that the entire media plan and all content of the minutes/notes of the 2pm call (referred to in the emails you have released) are exempt by virtue of S36 stretches credulity.

It is equally difficult to believe that only three emails were sent on this topic, that no replies to these emails were received, or that the names/grades/roles of the recipients of these emails are exempt from disclosure. I do not believe that no calls or meetings took place on this topic, I specifically requested information on these meetings and this request has been ignored.

I also find you have not answered my second question. I asked for the grade and role of the person(s) who approved the tweets (individually or in aggregate). Your response stating that they were "considered and authorised by a civil servant of the appropriate level (Grade 7 or above)" is a generic answer and not the release of information that I requested.

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,

Alex Brown

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the FOI Requests mailbox.

Your message has been logged and will be dealt with shortly.

We aim to provide a response to all FOI requests within 20 working days.

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Thank you.

 

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FOI Requests, Home Office

Alex Brown

 

Thank you for contacting the Home office.

 

This will be handled as an internal review of your Freedom of Information
request. The internal review will be carried out by M Riddle (ref 28484).
We will aim to send you a full response by 17/01/2014 which is twenty
working days from the date we received your internal review request.

 

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Thank you

 

FOI Requests

Home Office

 

 

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FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Brown

Please find attached the Home Office response to your internal review
request of FOI case 28484.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

M Riddle

Information Access Caseworker

Corporate Services

Home Office

Ground Floor, Seacole Building, Home Office,  2 Marsham Street, London
SW1P 4DF
Switchboard Number: 0207 035 4848

 

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