Comments on: With the ICO, you’re the last to know http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/ A guide to the Freedom of Information Act & other access laws Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:01:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: heather http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14806 heather Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:50:20 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14806 Hi Nick, As you'll know from this blog I'm all for getting information freed into the public domain but what I have an issue with is the Information Commissioner using MY effort for his own publicity propaganda. I am not just a freelance journalist – in fact I am also a consultant, an academic and a writer of books. But as a freelance journalist the way I earn a living is to write the sort of stories that other daily journalists don’t. And my specialty is making FOI requests. So for the Commissioner to negate all my efforts (which costs ME considerable personal time and expense) to issue a press release before I have even had a chance to recoup some of my costs is effectively creating a barrier to trade. There has to be some benefit to a requester to deal with all the arrogant, obstructive, rude and petty bureaucrats that one has to in order to release official data in this country. If there isn’t, then no one will make the effort and that is a very bad thing. It is not the ICO’s nor the government’s role to compete with or obstruct private business. Hi Nick, As you’ll know from this blog I’m all for getting information freed into the public domain but what I have an issue with is the Information Commissioner using MY effort for his own publicity propaganda. I am not just a freelance journalist – in fact I am also a consultant, an academic and a writer of books. But as a freelance journalist the way I earn a living is to write the sort of stories that other daily journalists don’t. And my specialty is making FOI requests. So for the Commissioner to negate all my efforts (which costs ME considerable personal time and expense) to issue a press release before I have even had a chance to recoup some of my costs is effectively creating a barrier to trade. There has to be some benefit to a requester to deal with all the arrogant, obstructive, rude and petty bureaucrats that one has to in order to release official data in this country. If there isn’t, then no one will make the effort and that is a very bad thing. It is not the ICO’s nor the government’s role to compete with or obstruct private business.

]]> By: Ben Leapman http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14712 Ben Leapman Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:50:10 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14712 Like Heather, I'm one of the complainants in this case. In January 2005, I lodged my request with the Commons authorities for copies of receipts submitted in support of Additional Cost Allowance payments by six named MPs. Like Heather, I was only informed of the Decision Notice publication on the morning of Friday, June 15, 2007, even though the DN is dated Wednesday, June 13. I broke the news on the Telegraph website shortly at around midday on the Friday (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/15/nexpense115.xml) I've now written to the Information Commissioner querying many aspects of the way this case was handled, including the two-and-a-half year delay; his decision not to order the Commons authorities to release the actual receipts; and the mechanics of how the decision was announced. In response to Nick Evans's point -- you're right, the legislation isn't there to get journalists scoops. But I'd have liked to to receive the DN on the day it was dated, not two days later; and I'd rather be told by phone call and email than via Royal Mail Special Delivery. (To be fair, the ICO's PR agency did phone and email as well; but if I'd been at home on the Friday morning, rather than in my office, I'd have received the letter and learned the decision an hour or two earlier. These timings do matter in our 24/7 news environment.) -- Ben Leapman, Home Affairs Correspondent, The Sunday Telegraph Like Heather, I’m one of the complainants in this case.
In January 2005, I lodged my request with the Commons authorities for copies of receipts submitted in support of Additional Cost Allowance payments by six named MPs. Like Heather, I was only informed of the Decision Notice publication on the morning of Friday, June 15, 2007, even though the DN is dated Wednesday, June 13. I broke the news on the Telegraph website shortly at around midday on the Friday (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/15/nexpense115.xml)
I’ve now written to the Information Commissioner querying many aspects of the way this case was handled, including the two-and-a-half year delay; his decision not to order the Commons authorities to release the actual receipts; and the mechanics of how the decision was announced.
In response to Nick Evans’s point — you’re right, the legislation isn’t there to get journalists scoops. But I’d have liked to to receive the DN on the day it was dated, not two days later; and I’d rather be told by phone call and email than via Royal Mail Special Delivery. (To be fair, the ICO’s PR agency did phone and email as well; but if I’d been at home on the Friday morning, rather than in my office, I’d have received the letter and learned the decision an hour or two earlier. These timings do matter in our 24/7 news environment.) — Ben Leapman, Home Affairs Correspondent, The Sunday Telegraph

]]> By: Nick Evans http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14693 Nick Evans Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:58:01 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14693 It seems rather feeble that they can't email a complainant about the decision, if you've requested that. That would seem to be the best way of ensuring you get advance notice. Although, playing devil's advocate, if you as a journalist make an FoI request to bring information to the public, what does it matter if other journalists also have the chance to inform the public at the same time. Surely it's more in keeping with the spirit of FoI that information is distributed as widely as possible than it is that individual journalists get scoops? It seems rather feeble that they can’t email a complainant about the decision, if you’ve requested that. That would seem to be the best way of ensuring you get advance notice.

Although, playing devil’s advocate, if you as a journalist make an FoI request to bring information to the public, what does it matter if other journalists also have the chance to inform the public at the same time. Surely it’s more in keeping with the spirit of FoI that information is distributed as widely as possible than it is that individual journalists get scoops?

]]> By: Martin http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14573 Martin Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:55:46 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14573 ... I had always assumed that the date on the notice is when the parties involved received their copies. … I had always assumed that the date on the notice is when the parties involved received their copies.

]]> By: heather http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14570 heather Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:53:19 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14570 Yes that's the date on the letter but it wasn't mailed until yesterday and I didn't receive it until today. So if they are going to start the clock from the date the decision is issued then that should also be the date the complainants were notified of it. There's no point starting the 'two-day' waiting period before the complainant has even received the decision. The guidance says that the parties should be given a reasonable time to digest the decision. I didn't even have 10 minutes! Seeing that I have waited almost two years for the Commissioner to assign a caseworker to another of my cases, I think putting out a press release within 10 minutes of my receiving the deciion is pretty surprising alacrity. If only the ICO showed the same speedy performance processing his caseload then perhaps he wouldn't need a PR agency. Yes that’s the date on the letter but it wasn’t mailed until yesterday and I didn’t receive it until today. So if they are going to start the clock from the date the decision is issued then that should also be the date the complainants were notified of it.

There’s no point starting the ‘two-day’ waiting period before the complainant has even received the decision. The guidance says that the parties should be given a reasonable time to digest the decision. I didn’t even have 10 minutes! Seeing that I have waited almost two years for the Commissioner to assign a caseworker to another of my cases, I think putting out a press release within 10 minutes of my receiving the deciion is pretty surprising alacrity. If only the ICO showed the same speedy performance processing his caseload then perhaps he wouldn’t need a PR agency.

]]> By: Martin http://www.yrtk.org/2007/ico_pr/comment-page-1/#comment-14567 Martin Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:26:23 +0000 http://www.yrtk.org/2007/with-the-ico-youre-the-last-to-know/#comment-14567 The <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/decisionnotices/2007/fs_50124671.pdf" rel="nofollow">decision notice</a> is dated 13 June (Wednesday), but the press release only came through this morning. The release appeared on the <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/rssfeeds/pressreleases.aspx" rel="nofollow">ICO PR RSS feed</a> at 11:31, but the actual decision notice is not on the <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/rssfeeds/decisionnotices.aspx" rel="nofollow">decision notice RSS feed</a> yet (2.15pm). The decision notice is dated 13 June (Wednesday), but the press release only came through this morning. The release appeared on the ICO PR RSS feed at 11:31, but the actual decision notice is not on the decision notice RSS feed yet (2.15pm).

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