"Benefits cheats" press release August 2014

The request was partially successful.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

On 31 August 2014 you released a press release relating to benefits fraud. Can you kindly provide answers on the following?

1. Where was this press release publicised?

2. The press release refers to a new campaign targeting benefit fraud beginning this Autumn. On the dwp website there is reference to a similar campaign which began in 2010. Is it the same campaign? If not can you please provide the details on either the new campaign or alternatively what is new about this campaign?

3. In the press release you provide personal details of claimants, including for example their city of residence and relationship status. Can you please provide the details of the guidance that explains to claimants and requests their consent, for this sharing of information. Can you specifically provide the documented guidance that advises claimants that details of their claims may be released to the media and general public.

Many thanks for your time.

Yours faithfully,

S. Bran

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

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DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear Mr Banks

Please clarify which press release you refer to as we did not put out any press release on 31st August.

Kind regards
FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

Thanks for your response.

On the Daily Mail online website, there is an article regarding my FOI request, the 'benefits cheats' story.:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...

In this article, the paper cites the following;

'The excuses, made this summer, have been publicised by the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage the public to shop fraudsters'

The story was published on 31 August 2014 on the daily mail site.

Can you please say where this dwp infomation was publicised? Who it was released to?
The remainder of the questions in the original request remain the same.

Many thanks

Yours sincerely,

S Banks

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Banks

Please find attached response to your FOI request of 22 September/12 October.

Kind regards

FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

ref: FOI 4047

1. Your response states that there was no ‘press notice’. In the story cited in the Daily Mail -

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-... the article is entitled

‘’The benefit fraudster who blamed his evil twin: Officials reveal the worst excuses’’

The article then goes on to state the following:
‘’ Department for Work and Pensions releases 'best' benefit fraud excuses of the summer’’

‘’The excuses, made this summer, have been publicised by the Department for Work and Pensions to encourage the public to shop fraudsters’’.

Please note the words reveal, releases and publicised. Therefore my question remains:

Did the Department of Work and Pensions reveal, release or publicise in any communication medium, ‘excuses’ benefit claimants have given for fraud?

1a If you did, as it seems that every news article about this story indicates that you did, can you please confirm to whom you released this information to?

2. Can you confirm if these ‘excuses’ were publicised as part of your quoted campaign against fraud?

2a. I have been unable to find any examples of these ‘excuses’ on the official DWP website. Can you please confirm whether examples of these ‘excuses’ are recorded on your website for public access?

Many thanks for your time and attention,
Best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

S Banks

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

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

I am writing to request an internal review of Department for Work and Pensions's handling of my FOI request '"Benefits cheats" press release August 2014'.

I am still waiting for a response to my last correspondence. Please can a response be given to my clarification question as outlined above.

Thank you

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

Yours faithfully,

S Banks

DWP freedom-of-information-requests, Department for Work and Pensions

This is an automated confirmation that your request for information has
been accepted by the DWP FoI mailbox.
 
By the next working day your request will be forwarded to the relevant
information owner within the Department who will respond to you direct. 
 
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally
expect a response within 20 working days.
 
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
 
For further information on the Freedom of Information Act within DWP
please click on the link below.
 
[1]http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...
 

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References

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1. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/freedom-of-informa...

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

5 Attachments

Dear Mr Banks

Would you please clarify precisely what you are asking to be reviewed. I have attached the response sent to you on 7th November and 25th November, both of which were within the 20 working day deadline.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards
Communications FOI Focal Point

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DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear Mr Banks

I have not yet had a response from you to my email of 26 November. Please confirm if you are happy to close this request for an internal review.

Kind regards
Communications FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE,
Thanks for your response. I am a bit confused as you have attached a response you gave to a separate foi I made. I want a review to provide an answer to which was initially unanswered and now has two conflicting answers.

I asked whether the dwp issued a press notice regarding benefits excuses, as written about in the daily mail on August 30 2014. First you said there was no press notice. Your subsequent response attached thepress notice that apparently did not exist. So can you please provide details of all the press agencies that the dwp issued this press notice to?

Also, you say there is no information regarding the decision to share this information with the daily mail. I am requesting please that you provide any email communication and or minutes of any meeting that specifically relate to the govt decision to share this press notice that apparently doesn't exist, with the daily mail?

Finally can you please provide details of where in the public domain this press notice is located.

I appreciate your time with this request.

Many thanks,
Yours sincerely,

S Banks

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear S Banks

Thank you for your email. In order to avoid any further confusion, would you mind clarifying which FOI response reference number you refer to, of which you requested a review which went unanswered.

Many thanks

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

Thanks for your prompt response. I am asking for an internal review of the FOI 4047.

I had asked for the details of where the DWP released a press notice relating to benefits excuses, as outlined here https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/b...

I initially received a response which stated the DWP did not issue a press notice. However a further response then attached the press notice (that you said did not exist!). So the questions from my initial request remain unanswered, hence the review request.

Can you please respond to the following?

1. Where was this press notice released? – Was it just released to the Daily Mail?

2. Is it in the public domain? I.e can you provide a link to your website if it is on there?

3. To which media agencies did the DWP release it to?

4. Can you provide the documented guidance that advises claimants that details of their claims may be released to the general public via the media/ a media press notice?

5. Please provide the details of any relevant written document that requests their consent for the sharing of their information in this way.

My final query asks that you provide information regarding the decision to share this information with the Daily Mail. You say you have no information regarding this. I struggle to understand how this is possible.

Can you please clarify how there could be no available information either through specific minutes of relevant meetings or email correspondence or any other means not specified here that relates to a service decision to a) write the press notice, b) select the Daily Mail to share it with and c) Then make contact with the Daily Mail for the purposes of sharing it.

Thank you again for your time and effort with this request,
Best wishes,

S Banks

H Mansfield left an annotation ()

Is there no authority that the DWP FOI office can be reported to for this blatant dishonesty to?

What's the point in an FOI office that can provide fiction as a response?

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

1 Attachment

Dear S Banks

Please find attached response to your request for an internal review of FOI 4047.

Kind regards
Communications FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,
Thanks for your time with this. Could I trouble you to address one last issue.That is the question of why this 'collated information' is referred to in the email exchange as a press release then? It is called this by the DWP staff member.

Many thanks,

Yours sincerely,

S Banks

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Hello

This was referred to as a "press release" in the email exchange in error. In our terms, a press release is a document that would be issued to a number of media contacts and published online. The document in question does not meet that criteria.

I hope this answers your query.

Kind regards
Jo

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H Mansfield left an annotation ()

So it was referred to as a press release, and it was released to the press, but it's not a press release.

Of course. How stupid of us mere mortals to assume otherwise.

Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,
#4047

Thanks Jo, much appreciated. Unfortunately some inconsistencies remain in the foi response. If as you say the information was already in the public domain, why was there an embargo placed on the 'collated information' document's release?
If not a press release can you please confirm then if this information was collated in response to a request from the Daily Mail? Please provide details of this request. Was it the Mail or the DWP that instigated the contact regarding the sharing of this information?
Where in the public domain can this information be found? I have done some searching and it does not appear to be readily accessible.

Thanks again,

Yours sincerely,

S Banks

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear S Banks

The information was released in open court, during hearings which members of the public are free to attend; therefore this information is in the public domain and indeed, gets frequently picked up and reported by regional media. However there is no a single place where all this information is readily available or pulled together.

The imposition of an embargo and the fact that information was already in the public domain are not incompatible. As previously explained, the information was collated by the DWP Press Office for the Daily Mail, therefore we would be quite within our rights to suggest an embargo for the story to appear on a certain day.

During the course of its work, press office makes regular contact with media organisations to gauge interest in news stories.

Kind regards
Jo
Communications FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

Thank you. In regards to your last point; to answer my query specifically can you please confirm that the dwp initiated contact with the Mail in this particular instance?

Yours sincerely,

S Banks

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear S Banks

The answer to your query below is yes, DWP initiated contact with the Mail in this particular instance.

Kind regards
Communications FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

Thank you. Can you please say why the DWP undertook to instigate this contact? Also, why was the information not shared with other media agencies as is the the usual procedure in the release of information to the press?

Many thanks and happy Christmas

Yours sincerely,

S B

G Ward left an annotation ()

Amazing that most of files they send are not downloadable at all, this is just stonewalling and dept needs to pull it finger out

Sam Barnett-Cormack left an annotation ()

Slightly alarming that there's no information held about the decision to share it. At all. Was this a random (lower than Senior Civil Servant) staffer's idea?

H Mansfield left an annotation ()

This "we don't count it as a press release because it only went to one place" thing is a bit shady.

In theory they could "collate some information", tweak it slightly so a different version is sent to each media outlet, and still claim that what was released to the press by means of release from the press office wasn't a press release.

C Robinson left an annotation ()

Excellent FOI!
Thank you!

DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications, Department for Work and Pensions

Dear S Banks

I would be grateful if you could direct any further queries through the Freedom of Information route.

Kind regards
FOI Focal Point

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Dear DWP CAXTON HOUSE Communications,

I will do. Many thanks for your help.

Yours sincerely,

S B

S Banks left an annotation ()

For anyone who is interested,here is the next installment . . https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f...