12 Letter from Howell James CBE, Permanent
Secretary, Government Communications, Cabinet Office to Julia
Goldsworthy MP
RE: COI EVALUATION
REPORTS
Thank you for your letter of 17 January about
COI evaluation reports of Government advertising campaigns. Perhaps
I should clarify things a bit further:
Preparing for Emergencies was a cross-departmental
campaign without a single sponsor. While a lead department would
usually conduct its own evaluation report on this occasion COI
was commissioned to produce the report on behalf of departments.
This COI report was therefore more analogous to departmental evaluation
reports which are not typically "commercial in confidence".
There may be a number of reasons why departmental
reports do not have "commercial in confidence" status.
In the context of your enquiry the fact that departments do not
include commercial information that relates to the private sector
supplier (normally an advertising agency) will be part of the
reason. COI reports, in contrast, typically focus on the performance
of the supplier rather than the campaign effect in its entirety.
This means they come up against advice on commercial confidentiality
which COI has observed to protect the commercial interests of
the companies contracted to it since it was established in 1946.
The latest guidance on release of commercially
sensitive information is contained within section 43 (Commercial
Interests) of the Freedom of Information Act which states under
161(2):
information is exempt information if its disclosure
under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial
interests of any person (including the public authority holding
it).
Finally, perhaps I could make the following
offer; working with colleagues in departments, COI is planning
to create a database of current campaign summary reports. In a
separate but complementary move my own Government Communication
Group has commissioned COI to develop a database of communications
case studies. I should be able to provide you with further details
of both initiatives and the campaigns to be included in June if
this would be helpful.
I am copying this letter to Tony Wright.
8 February 2006
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