NPfIT contracts with CSC
Dear Department of Health,
In the report "The dismantled National Programme for IT in the NHS" (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa...)
Tim Donohoe, Senior Responsible Owner for
Local Service Providers at the Department of Health, is quoted talking with Mr Bacon MP as follows:
> Q21 Mr Bacon: When you say the original contract
> you don’t mean the original contact as in the first
> contract. Originally they only had one contract, which
> was worth about £1 billion.
> Tim Donohoe: I am sorry.
> Mr Bacon: They ended up with three contracts, worth
> about £3 billion. Is it that you are saying is now worth
> £3.8 billion?
> Tim Donohoe: Yes, that is right
Could you please provide a copy of each of the three contracts (as mentioned here) that you made with CSC?
Yours faithfully,
Mr Woodcock
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Our ref: DE00000877249
Dear Mr Woodcock,
Please see attached the Department of Health's response to your Freedom of
Information request.
Yours sincerely,
Danny Lamond
Freedom of Information
Department of Health
Dear Department of Health,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Department of Health's handling of my FOI request 'NPfIT contracts with CSC'.
You've mentioned the confidentiality provisions made between you and CSC, but I understand that the existence of confidentiality provisions isn't—in itself—one of the exemptions in the FOI act. The exemption you've used is section 43 (i.e. prejudice of commercial interests). The confidentiality provisions don't override your responsibilities under the FOI Act.
Even if CSC were able to ask for punitive measures, you could of course refuse to pay, citing these responsibilities, and then it would be a matter for them to take you to court. I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see how they could win such an action if you were obliged to break the confidentiality provisions because of the FOI Act! Otherwise, this argument has no weight, or perhaps you could explain how?
You've also argued that disclosing financial information and the structure of commercial terms would deter other companies from contracting with public sector bodies.
However, presumably contractors (or potential contractors) also have an understanding that when they fail, on a massive scale, to do a good job, and that when this wastes, on a massive scale, tax-payers' money—then clearly there will be a desire for financial information to be exposed and examined, and for that company to be exposed as the failure, or the rotten company, that it is (whichever is the case).
If a company is, in the future, deterred from contracting with a public sector body because it *realizes* that it (a) is a rotten company or (b) is likely to do a bad job—and because it doesn't want to be exposed as that kind of a company—then surely it's a good thing if it's "deterred" from contracting with a public sector body and thus wasting billions of pounds of tax-payer money?
In any case, I think the public interest in disclosing the details of why and how billions of pounds of tax-payer money was (potentially) wasted on a "rotten company providing a hopeless system" (as Rt Hon Margaret Hodge described it in the Public Accounts Committee's report) surely outweighs, in this case, the potential disadvantage of deterring future contractors. (Except for the rotten ones like CSC who should be deterred as much as possible I suppose.)
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/n...
Yours faithfully,
Mr Woodcock
Dear Mr Woodcock,
I can confirm that the Department has received your request for an Internal Review of your Freedom of Information request (Our reference: DE00000877249). This is now being processed by a member of the Freedom of Information team, who will respond to you in due course.
Regards, Gary
Gary Tempest
Head of Freedom of Information
Department of Health, 79 Whitehall, SW1A 2NS
Follow us on Twitter @DHgovuk
Dear FreedomofInformation,
Thank you for your reply. Could you confirm when you expect to reply by? Is there a statutory deadline?
Yours sincerely,
Mr Woodcock
Dear Mr Woodcock, there is no statutory deadline but the Information Commissioner's best practice guidance recommends that internal reviews are treated in a similar manner to an initial request and that the response is issued within 20 working days. The Department always aims to adhere to the recommended deadline.
Yours sincerely,
Gary Tempest
Head of Freedom of Information
Department of Health, 79 Whitehall, SW1A 2NS
Follow us on Twitter @DHgovuk
Dear FreedomofInformation,
It's now been more than 20 working days since I asked for an internal review. How's it coming along?
Yours sincerely,
Mr Woodcock
From: Doole, Tony
Sent: 22 September 2014 11:06
To: ':[FOI #221848 email]'
Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - NPfIT
contracts with CSC
Dear Mr Woodcock
Thank you for your email below regarding your request for an Internal
Review.
As you may know, there is no statutory provision on the timing for
completion of Internal reviews. The Department of Health does, however,
process Internal Reviews in line with the ICO’s best practice guidance of
20 working days and for complex cases up to 40 days.
As the Department of Health is currently consulting with relevant third
parties, we will be taking longer than usual in responding to you in this
instance. Once we have fully considered their views, we will respond to
you as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely,
Tony Doole
Senior Casework Manager
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health
79 Whitehall
LONDON SW1A
From: Mr Woodcock [[1]mailto:[FOI #221848 email]]
Sent: 22 September 2014 10:41
To: FreedomofInformation
Subject: RE: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - NPfIT
contracts with CSC
Dear FreedomofInformation,
It's now been more than 20 working days since I asked for an internal
review. How's it coming along?
Yours sincerely,
Mr Woodcock
Incoming and outgoing e-mail messages are routinely monitored for
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1. mailto:[FOI #221848 email]
Dear Mr Woodcock
Please find attached (above) on behalf of the Department of Health, the
outcome of your Internal Review.
Yours sincerely
Tony Doole
Senior Casework Manager
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health
79 Whitehall
LONDON SW1A
Incoming and outgoing e-mail messages are routinely monitored for
compliance with the Department of Health's policy on the use of electronic
communications. For more information on the Department of Health's e-mail
policy click here http://www.dh.gov.uk/terms
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