UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records

The request was successful.

Dear Sir or Madam,

The following request was originally directed to the Foreign Office as it related to the UK's relationship with other EU countries. The Foreign Office FOI team has responded stating that the Foreign Office does not hold the information and suggested that the questions should be directed to the Home Office.

In the European Council Decision on the exchange of information extracted from criminal records - Manual of Procedure (5459/09) - pages 100-103 relate to the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records (UKCA-ECR). I am making a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please would you provide the
following information:

(a) what was the rationale for the Home Office agreeing to the nomination of ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) to perform the role of the UKCA-ECR. (ACPO is a private limited company and not an official government/public body)

(b) Were Ministers aware of and briefed on the legal status of ACPO before agreeing to its nomination as the UKCA-ECR;

(c) Given that the Police National Computer is operated by NPIA (a public agency), why was it resolved to use ACRO rather than NPIA to be the UKCA-ECR;

(d) What are the estimated annual costs of the UKCA-ECR, how are these costs covered and which Ministry/Department is responsible for paying them;

(e) Is the provision of the UKCA-ECR service by ACRO undertaken under a contract and if so which Ministry/Department placed the contract.

Yours faithfully,

John Brown

Dear Sir or Madam,

This request (http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/uk...) is currently overdue a response from Home Office. By law, the response had to be prompt but no later than 3 April 2009. Under the Freedom of Information Act the Home Office should have replied by now, and is therefore breaking the law. Please would you respond to this request.

Yours sincerely,

John Brown

Dear Sir or Madam,

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 'UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records'. I have had no acknowledgement of my email of 13 April and no response to my request of 5 March.

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

Please would you expedite a response to the original request or explain why you are unable to respond.

Yours sincerely,

John Brown

Hazzelby Gareth (IMS), Home Office

Mr Brown

 

Thank you for your email of 19 May in which you ask for an Internal Review
to be conducted on the handling of your Freedom of Information request. 

 

I have checked our Correspondence Tracking system and we have no record of
having received the original request dated 5 March, nor its follow up sent
the 13 April. 

 

I can confirm that I have brought your request to the attention of the
appropriate policy team. The target date for this will be 17 June.

 

 

Gareth Wyn Hazzelby | Information Management Service | Financial and
Commercial Group | 4th Floor NE Quarter | Seacole Building | Home Office
| 2 Marsham Street | London SW1P 4DF

 

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Christopher Stacey LL.B, LL.M left an annotation ()

This is absolutely disgraceful. How on earth can the Home Office claim to have not received the original request or the subseqeunt follow up?

This is typical of such a self-assured department that they feel they are above reprisal - this is shockingly poor of the Home Office (not that we should expect anything different of course).

Dear Hazzelby Gareth (IMS),

Please see one of your colleagues response to: Reference:T4057/9 -

"Thank you for your e-mail enquiry of 5 March. A reply is attached. I also note that there is apparently a further request to the Home Office
(http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/uk...)
that is outstanding. I'm afraid that I cannot find it on our correspondence tracking system. You may wish to check that it was actually sent."

I wish to point out that it is not my responsibility to check your correspondence tracking system - this is a failure of your system and not the WDTK system. I am
very dissatisfied with the Home Office response and its failure to acknowledge the follow up sent on 13th April. Please would you expedite the handling of the response.

Yours sincerely,

John Brown

Home Office

1 Attachment

Reference : T8546/9

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry of 19 May

A reply is attached.

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