Response from the Information Commissioner's Office.

25th June 2010

Case Reference Number FS50268578

Public Authority Department for Education (DE)

Here is the response I received to my response to the Information Commissioner.  I must have misread and it seems that they are not prepared to revisit the delays in the DCSF's response to FOI's.  I wonder if it would be possible to appeal?

 Dear Ms Stafford

Thank you for your email of 24 June 2010.

With reference to your points about compliance and the DE, as you are aware our Enforcement Team has dealt with these issues as explained in my email to you of 22 June 2010.

You also expressed concerns about redactions carried out by the DE. This aspect will be considered by me as part of my investigation into the DE’s application of sections, 41, 40 and 38.

You have also confirmed that you consider the following points have not been answered with regard to your request of 1 July 2009:

• In particular, please supply copies of all statistical returns from English local authorities and other agencies to the DCSF which indicate the educational status (school) or electively home educated of school aged children on their “at risk” registers.
• Finally, please confirm that Mr Badman’s contention and all evidence used to support his contention, relates only to  children of compulsory education age, since electively home educated children are by definition all of compulsory age.
• Children educated at home are twice as likely to be on social services registers for being at risk of abuse as the rest of the population.

Thank you for this clarification and I will continue to consider your complaint.

Yours sincerely

Claire Walsh

Senior Complaints Officer

Team 1 – FOI Operations