Vice-Chancellor Flight Costs, FOI E-Mail Log
This is a log of the request and subsequent correspondences with the University of Warwick to obtain information on how much the Vice-Chancellor spends on airfare, which exceeded £54,800 in the 2013-14 academic year.
From: JJ Hermes
Sent: Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 11:51 AM
To: infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk
Subject: FOI request, travel reimbursements
To whom it may concern:
I respectfully request the following information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act:
1. Copies of Form FP16a for every claim for travelling and subsistence (including Details of Travelling and Subsistence Expenses Incurred) submitted by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
2. A note of any instance wherein the amount reimbursed to Professor Thrift
did not match the amount requested in the submitted Form FP16a.
3. Copies of flight bookings detailing flight costs and details (airline, flight, class, etc.) for Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
In the interest of minimizing any printing costs, I would like scanned digital copies of the documents pertaining to Parts 1 and 3 of this request.
I look forward to hearing back from you regarding this request. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any follow-up questions. I would prefer all correspondence be sent digitally through this e-mail address, including the response to this request. Thank you for your time in addressing this query.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Mon, Jan 19, 2015 at 11:43 PM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
To whom it may concern,
It has been more than 20 business days since my submission of this FOI request for copies of every claim for traveling and subsistence for Professor Sir Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014. Even allowing for University closures for the Christmas holidays, I should have received a response from the University of Warwick by now.
Could you please let me know when I can expect a response from you? If I do not hear back from you by Wednesday 21 Jan I will file a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 5:44 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Mr Hermes,
Thank you for your email and apologises for not replying to you sooner.
Since we received your request there have been a number of unforeseeable circumstances in which staff have either been unexpectedly away on compassionate leave or off sick and I have since taken over as the legal compliance officer, which is the substantive role for dealing with FOI requests and reviews at the University. Your request was one of a number of substantial requests received during that period and we were unable to deal with your request before the University closed for the Christmas period.
Since returning from the Christmas break, your request was placed as a priority but unfortunately I sustained an injury during my first week back and had to take some time off work. I am now back at work and can confirm that the University is processing your request and I would hope that we will be in a position to respond to you as soon as possible.
I will keep you updated and once again please accept my apologises.
Kind Regards
Katherine
Katherine Pears | Administrative Officer (Compliance) | Deputy Registrar's Office
University House | University of Warwick | Coventry | CV4 8UW
Tel: 024 761 51020
Email: infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk
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On Fri, Jan 23, 2015 at 11:13 AM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Hi Katherine,
Thank you for your detailed response. Since this request should not entail more than photocopying and/or scanning to PDF a handful of documents, I do not expect it should not take much longer.
Please could you provide a full response by next Wednesday, 28 Jan. If you cannot meet that deadline, please give a more substantive reason for the delay, or I will indeed file a complaint with the ICO.
I very much appreciate your help on fulfilling this request.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 10:26 AM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Ms Pears, or whomever else it may concern,
Do you have any information or updates about when I can expect to hear back from the University regarding my 2 Dec 2014 request for copies of every claim for traveling and subsistence for Professor Sir Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014? Please advise.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 6:11 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Mr Hermes,
Thank you for your email. I am confident that the university will be ready to send their response to your FOI request by the end of this week.
Kind regards
Katherine
Sent using OWA for iPhone
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On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 3:11 PM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Ms Pears,
Thank you for the prompt response yesterday. I look forward to hearing from your office with a response some time today.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 6:09 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Mr Hermes,
I can confirm that the response to your FOI request is with the registrar's office.
Kind regards
Katherine
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On Mon, Feb 2, 2015 at 10:09 AM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Ms Pears,
Forgive me, but I did not understand your last statement confirming that my "FOI request is with the registrar's office." I understood from your e-mail last Thursday that the University would respond to my request by the end of last week. This, in fact, did not occur. Should I expect a full response to my request from the registrar's office today?
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Tue, Feb 3, 2015 at 12:36 PM, JJ Hermes wrote to Information Commissioner's Office (casework@ico.org.uk) (Concern about accessing information from a public body):
To whom it may concern,
I would like to formally complain about a Freedom of Information request that remains unfulfilled by the University of Warwick.
On 2 December 2014, I requested the following documents from the University of Warwick:
1. Copies of Form FP16a for every claim for traveling and subsistence (including Details of Traveling and Subsistence Expenses Incurred) submitted by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
2. A note of any instance wherein the amount reimbursed to Professor Thrift
did not match the amount requested in the submitted Form FP16a.
3. Copies of flight bookings detailing flight costs and details (airline, flight, class, etc.) for Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
After not receiving a response after more than 20 business days had elapsed, including adjustments for the Christmas break, I requested an update on the status of my request on 18 January 2015. Two days later, on 20 January 2015, I received my first response from the new legal compliance officer at the University of Warwick, Katherine Pears. Her response apologized for not replying sooner, and continued: "Since we received your request there have been a number of unforeseeable circumstances in which staff have either been unexpectedly away on compassionate leave or off sick and I have since taken over as the legal compliance officer, which is the substantive role for dealing with FOI requests and reviews at the University. Your request was one of a number of substantial requests received during that period and we were unable to deal with your request before the University closed for the Christmas period. Since returning from the Christmas break, your request was placed as a priority but unfortunately I sustained an injury during my first week back and had to take some time off work. I am now back at work and can confirm that the University is processing your request and I would hope that we will be in a position to respond to you as soon as possible."
I responded on 23 January 2015 thanking Ms. Pears for her detailed response, and suggested a deadline of 28 January 2015 for the University's response. When I did not hear from the University by 29 January 2015, I requested an update, and heard later that day from Ms. Pears that she was "confident that the university will be ready to send their response to your FOI request by the end of this week."
On Friday, 30 January 2015, I received an e-mail from Ms. Pears stating: "I can confirm that the response to your FOI request is with the registrar's office." Despite an e-mail requesting clarification of what this meant, I have heard nothing from the University since.
The University of Warwick has been far too unresponsive to this FOI request, and I am now formally complaining to the Information Commissioner's Office. I appreciate any assistance you can provide to ensure this request is seen through to completion.
I have attached the completed Accessing official information concerns form (Hermes_WarwickComplaint.pdf), as well as e-mail conversations between the public body and myself (Hermes1.pdf and Hermes2.pdf). Thank you for your attention to this unfortunate matter.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Tue, Feb 19, 2015 at 3:44 PM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request):
Dear Ms Pears,
Do you have an update on the status of the University's response to my FOI request? Thank you.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 5:28 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (FOI Request):
Dear Mr Hermes,
Thank you for your email dated 2nd December 2014 requesting information about the University of Warwick, we apologise for the delay in responding to your request. Your request is being considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please find below your original request and our response.
I respectfully request the following information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act:
1. Copies of Form FP16a for every claim for travelling and subsistence (including Details of Travelling and Subsistence Expenses Incurred) submitted by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
Please find the requested information attached, titled table 1.
2. A note of any instance wherein the amount reimbursed to Professor Thrift
did not match the amount requested in the submitted Form FP16a.
The University holds no such record of any incidences of this nature.
3. Copies of flight bookings detailing flight costs and details (airline, flight, class, etc.) for Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
Please find the requested information attached, titled table 2.
In the interest of minimizing any printing costs, I would like scanned digital copies of the documents pertaining to Parts 1 and 3 of this request.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, requesters are entitled to the information not the document in which the information is held and we consider that we have fulfilled your request for information.
I trust that this information will be helpful to you. Should you require any clarification, please contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Wallis
Darren Wallis | Director of Strategic Programme Delivery
University House | University of Warwick | Coventry | CV4 8UW
-- Attachments: Table1.xlsx (Table1.pdf) and Table2.docx (Table2.pdf)
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On Fri, Feb 20, 2015 at 6:40 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (Re: FOI request, travel reimbursements):
Dear Mr Hermes,
I am of the understanding that the University's response has been sent to you today. Please let me know if you are yet to receive it.
Kind regards
Katherine
Sent using OWA for iPhone
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On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 3:15 PM, JJ Hermes wrote (Re: FOI request):
To whom it may concern,
I write to formally complain that the University of Warwick has not fully responded to my request under the Freedom of Information Act of 2000. On 2 Dec 2014, I requested the following information from the University of Warwick:
1. Copies of Form FP16a for every claim for travelling and subsistence (including Details of Travelling and Subsistence Expenses Incurred) submitted by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
2. A note of any instance wherein the amount reimbursed to Professor Thrift did not match the amount requested in the submitted Form FP16a.
3. Copies of flight bookings detailing flight costs and details (airline, flight, class, etc.) for Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
After considerable delay, the University responded on 20 Feb 2015, after my having to involve the ICO. However, the University has not fully responded to my original request. Thus, I seek clarification regarding the following matter:
- I have not received the full response to part (3) of this request. Namely, please provide the date, airline, flight number, and importantly the class of each flight taken by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
I will add that the information provided in response to part (1) of this request, copies of the FP16a forms, is also very incomplete. However, since this covers such a small fraction of the Vice-Chancellor's travel expenses, I am not pursuing this matter further. It should be pointed out that the statement that "Under the Freedom of Information Act, requesters are entitled to the information not the document in which the information is held and we consider that we have fulfilled your request for information" is quite inaccurate. Notably, FP16a forms include itemized details for each expense that was reimbursed, and none of this information is in your response to my request.
I look forward to hearing back from you promptly, no later than 31 Mar 2015, as provided under the law. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
JJ Hermes
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On Mon, Mar 2, 2015 at 3:21 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (Automatic reply: FOI Request):
Thank you for your email which has been received by the University Legal Compliance Officer.
The University undertakes to respond to Freedom of Information requests within 20 working days and to Data Protection requests within 40 calendar days.
Thank you
Legal Compliance Team
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On Thu, Apr 16, 2015 at 7:56 PM, Resource infocompliance (infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk) wrote (FOI Request - F060.14-15 - Internal Review):
Dear Mr Hermes,
Thank you for your email dated 2nd March 2015. Your email was interpreted as a request for an Internal Review into the way in which the University has responded to your recent Freedom of Information request. I write to confirm that in accordance with our procedures, a review has been carried out.
The University interpreted your email as requesting a response to question three of your original request only. Therefore we have only investigated and responded to your comments in relation to question three of your original request.
Your original request and our original response to question 3:
3. Copies of flight bookings detailing flight costs and details (airline, flight, class, etc.) for Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
Please find the requested information attached.
Your comments regarding our response to question 3:
I have not received the full response to part (3) of this request. Namely, please provide the date, airline, flight number, and importantly the class of each flight taken by Professor Nigel Thrift during the year ended 31 July 2014 (spanning from 1 Aug 2013 to 31 July 2014).
Our investigation and response to your comments regarding question 3:
The University believes that it has satisfied your request for information regarding the Vice- Chancellor's flight costs and details (airline, flight, class) during the year ending 31st July 2014. Attached to the University's response, sent on 20th February 2015, to your Freedom of Information request was a document containing a table which listed the date of travel, the destination, the airline carrier and the cost of each flight. The document also included a statement of the University's policy in relation to the type of class the Vice-Chancellor is permitted to travel. In all the circumstances of the case, the University concludes that it has complied with your request for information.
If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint, you have a right to appeal to the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.gov.uk
There is no charge for making an appeal.
Yours sincerely,
Jo Horsburgh
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