Unbiased release of information

Department for Work and Pensions did not have the information requested.

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Request one of two: Please kindly provide sections of your staff contracts which warn them not to release information to the public or press which could as a result put the department in a negative light.

Parameters for request one: ONLY staff whose job includes handling Freedom of Information requests.

Date for request one: Active now

Request two of two: Please kindly provide relevant sections of your staff contracts which effectively amends the conditions as stated in request one allowing staff to fully perform their Freedom of Information duties in accordance with the FoIA.

Parameters for request two: ONLY staff whose job includes handling Freedom of Information requests.

Elaboration for request two: Obviously we can't have your staff on FoI duty preventing release of information requested under the FoIA merely because it could show the department in a negative light. Such duties must adhere to the FoIA. We'd like to see copies of their staff contract amended to allow for this.

Date for request two: Active now

Yours faithfully,

Amanda Hart
for Stop UK lies and Corruption

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.
 
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally expect
a response within 20 working days.
 
However please be advised that due to the current situation with COVID-19
we cannot guarantee a response within this timescale.
 
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[2]http://www.gov.uk/dwp
 
 

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DWP Central FOI Team,

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Dear Amanda Hart,

I am writing in response to your request for information, received 6th
August.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

Dear Department for Work and Pensions,

Background: Your FoI response ref FOI2020 43370 states you do not hold the information requested but you go on to state "The Department fully complies with its obligations under the FoI Act"

Request one of one: Please kindly supply your source for the statement made above so we know it's not just an unsupported claim.

Yours faithfully,

Amanda Hart
for Stop UK lies and Corruption.

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.
 
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally expect
a response within 20 working days.
 
However please be advised that due to the current situation with COVID-19
we cannot guarantee a response within this timescale.
 
Every effort is being made to respond to FOIs as we would usually but the
current situation means that available Departmental resources will be
needed on other high priority areas.
 
We kindly ask for your understanding during this unprecedented situation
and we will aim to deal with your FOI request as soon as is practically
possible.
 
Email FOI responses will be issued from [1][email address]
We recommend that you add this address to your email contacts otherwise
the response may be treated as Spam or Junk mail.  
 
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
 
[2]http://www.gov.uk/dwp
 
 

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DWP Central FOI Team,

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Dear Amanda Hart,

I am writing in response to your request for information, received 12th
August.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team

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 'Unbiased release of information'.

In a response to a prior Freedom of Information request (FOI2020 43370) the department stated it "did not hold the information requested" - which we accept.

However it went on to state "The Department fully complies with its obligations under the FoI Act" which is where the problem is.

Unlike departments such as public relations and press offices any information your Freedom of Information staff gives out MUST COMPLY WITH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT. You either provide the information requested, state you have no information or state the clauses of exemption. You don't provide information which it turns out DOES NOT EXIST/YOU HAVE NO RECORD OF.

if the sentence was taken from a recorded press conference transcript - that would have been fine. In response to us asking where it came from your staff could have informed us of this. However it is completely wrong to give out statements which it turns out you have no record of anyone giving. You are an information retrieval service and your responses must comply with the Freedom of Information Act.

Would the internal reviewer like to therefore take this opportunity to retract the sentence in question?
Please be advised if it is not retracted we shall ask the Information Commissioner to investigate the matter.

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

Yours faithfully,

Amanda Hart
for Stop UK lies and Corruption.

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.
 
If your email is a Freedom of Information request you can normally expect
a response within 20 working days.
 
However please be advised that due to the current situation with COVID-19
we cannot guarantee a response within this timescale.
 
Every effort is being made to respond to FOIs as we would usually but the
current situation means that available Departmental resources will be
needed on other high priority areas.
 
We kindly ask for your understanding during this unprecedented situation
and we will aim to deal with your FOI request as soon as is practically
possible.
 
Email FOI responses will be issued from [1][email address]
We recommend that you add this address to your email contacts otherwise
the response may be treated as Spam or Junk mail.  
 
Should you have any further queries in connection with this request do
please contact us.
 
[2]http://www.gov.uk/dwp
 
 

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Amanda Hart left an annotation ()

Inform ICO if no satisfactory response by 6th Nov 2020

DWP Central FOI Team,

1 Attachment

Dear Amanda Hart,

I am writing in response to your request for information, received 10th
September.

Yours sincerely,

DWP Central FoI Team