12 Jan 2010 : Column 5MC

12 Jan 2010 : Column 5MC

Ministerial Correction

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Justice

Freedom of Information: Government Departments

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many information notices the Information Commissioner has issued to each Department in each year since 2005 in circumstances in which he considers there has been undue delay by that Department in providing the information requested. [302841]

[Official Report, 30 November 2009, Vol. 501, c. 440W.]

Letter of correction from Mr. Wills:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 30 November 2009. The number of Government Departments to which formal information notices have been issued was incorrect. The correct answer should have been:

Mr. Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information Act (the "Act").

Section 51 of the Act provides that the Commissioner may serve an information notice either in relation to a complaint or to assess compliance with the requirements of the Act.

12 Jan 2010 : Column 6MC

Up to November 2009 the ICO has issued 91 formal information notices to public authorities, 27 of which have been to Government Departments. They are set out in the following table.

Department	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Total
Department of Transport	-	-	1	-	-	1
Department of Health	1	1	1	2	1	6
Scotland Office	-	-	-	1	-	1
The Treasury Solicitors Department	-	1	-	-	-	1
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	-	1	-	-	-	1
Department for Culture Media and Sport	-	1	-	-	-	1
Cabinet Office	-	-	2	2	-	4
Home Office	-	-	1	1	4	6
Department for Constitutional Affairs	-	1	-	-	-	1
HM Treasury	-	1	-	-	-	1
The Department of Trade and Industry/Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform	-	-	-	2	-	2
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	-	-	-	1	-	1
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	-	-	-	1	-	1
Grand total	1	6	5	10	5	27

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