Indentity & Passport Service: internal mail
Dennis
Vivienne forwarded me the FOI complaint, as I was responsible for arranging for the email addresses published throughout the website to be changed following the creation of IPS. This was done in consultation and collaboration with both the correspondence and FOI teams.
The rationale behind the change was primarily one of customer service.
The old email address was received on the stand alone computer, which I was led to believe contained viruses, which could not be viewed from Admin IT terminals. This lead to a delay in receiving emails. In addition, there were several public facing email address members of the public could use to contact what was in effect the same team. These have now been reduced to hqenquiries@ukpa.gsi.gov.uk (managed by the correspondence team). MMT also handle correspondence but this is done via other channels which are not so visible.
The hqenquiries address went live on 22 August, and I advised internal comms/ publications to make this clear in future publications. It went live on the website following notification by the correspondence team/ FOI team on 27 August. Due to the fact the old email addresses are still in circulation, I also advised the correspondence team to keep a check on the stand alone computer for the foreseeable.
I hope this helps.
Elaine
>Elaine Adu-Poku
>Marketing and Communications
>Identity and Passport Service
1st Floor, Peel
>2 Marsham Street
>London
>SW1P 4DF
>
>Elaine.Adu-Poku@ukpa.gsi.gov.uk
>
>
—–Original Message—–
From: Parsons Vivienne
Sent: 20 October 2006 17:21
To: Adu-Poku Elaine
Subject: FW: Query on the handling of FOI request by Identity & Passport Services
Importance: High
I’m not sure if this complaint is as a result of the changes you’ve made to website e-mail addresses - if so, you may be asked to contribute to the bullet points/lines.
—–Original Message—–
From: O’Brien Denis
Sent: 20 October 2006 15:32
To: Lawrence Lizzie; Mortlock Nicola; Reid Hazel
Cc: Parsons Vivienne
Subject: FW: Query on the handling of FOI request by Identity & Passport Services
Importance: High
Lizzie
You know better than me what happened when we changed the FOI email addresses.
Grateful if you/Nicola could let me have bullet points on:
* why we changed (improvements to customer service would be nice)
* when
* what we did about ensuring all public facing emails addresses were changed (not a lot?)
* what contingencies we had in place (not a lot?).
I will do lines to take.
Hazel
Could I have the papers please.
Denis
—–Original Message—–
From: Parsons Vivienne
Sent: 19 October 2006 16:54
To: O’Brien Denis; Harrison Stephen; Belai Farooq; Lawrence Lizzie
Cc: ‘Wilson Peter (Press Office)’; Mortlock Nicola
Subject: RE: Query on the handling of FOI request by Identity & Passport Services
Importance: High
Please can we find out what’s happened here?
She’s not the most supportive of journalists (see example below) so Peter will need an answer/lines quickly please.
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1851381,00.html
Vivienne
—–Original Message—–
From: Wilson Peter (Press Office)
[mailto:Peter.Wilson3@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk]Sent: 19 October 2006 16:38
To: Parsons Vivienne; Mortlock Nicola
Subject: FW: Query on the handling of FOI request by Identity & Passport Services
Importance: High
Eek. Has there been a malfunction here?
—–Original Message—–
From: Heather [mailto:hb@kobro.co.uk]Sent: 19 October 2006 4:37 PM
To: ‘Peter Wilson’
Subject: Query on the handling of FOI request by Identity & Passport Services
Hi Peter,
We just spoke on the phone. I’m doing a documentary about civil liberties for Channel 4. I wondered if the Identity and Passport Services would care to comment about the handling of my FOI request, to which I still have not received a response 17 days after the deadline expired.
29 August Emailed request to address on IPS Publication Scheme
26 Sept 20-working-day deadline expires
2 October Telephoned and left msg for FOI Officer
3 October, 10am FOI officer calls to say can’t find the request. Some emails have gone astray, he says. He gave me a new address:
hqenquiries@ukpa.gov.pa. This email was also returned as undeliverable.
I then sent to FOI officer’s personal email and he acknowledged receipt.
10 Oct - still no word
18 October, 10:30am Telephoned usual number. A woman said FOI Office
had
moved to Marsham street and there is no forwarding number. Sent an email to FOI Officer.
19 October - Still no response so phoned press office.
All a bit disturbing particularly from an agency that is to be entrusted with all our most personal data!
All the best,
Heather Brooke
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