Response: Due diligence on Simon Blagden
Published 8 July 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi2024-00009-due-diligence-on-simon-blagden/response-due-diligence-on-simon-blagden
| Reference number | FOI2024-00009 |
|---|---|
| Date of request | 10 June 2024 |
| Date of response | 8 July 2024 |
| Outcome | Information partially disclosed |
Request for information
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (the department) received the following request for information which we responded to under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA):
According to Private Eye magazine, earlier this year the press office was asked about Simon Blagden, chair of Building Digital UK, and his potential involvement in the Fujitsu/Horizon scandal.
They say that DSIT responded “Simon Blagden serves as chair of Fujitsu Telecommunications from 2014 to 2019 with Post Office Horizon supplied by Fujitsu Services, a separate organisation with a separate board. The Post Office scandal was an appalling miscarriage of justice which Simon was in now way involved in”.
We now know from Paula Vennels evidence to the Horizon inquiry that this was not true, because Paula Vennels discussed Horizon with Mr Blagden. So I would like to see under FOIA, the documents that supported the Press Office response to Private Eye magazine – there should be emails or other correspondence between the DSIT Press Office and other parts of the Department that led to this response, so I would like to see the relevant documents.
Our response
We can confirm that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), does hold the requested information. While Fujitsu Services was the shareholder in Fujitsu Telecommunications during Simon Blagden’s time as Chair of Fujitsu Telecommunications, the two are separate legal entities.
We have attached the following information in scope of your request:
| Annex | Document description |
|---|---|
| A | Due diligence on Simon Blagden which was considered when responding to the original Private Eye media query[1] |
| B | Members of the Fujitsu Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Board |
| C | Declaration of interest form for Simon Blagden |
| D | Email correspondence between DSIT officials |
| E | Email correspondence between Private Eye and DSIT officials |
| F | Email correspondence between DSIT and BDUK officials |
Section 40(2) (personal information)
We are withholding some personal information under section 40(2) of the Act, as this information is personal data that may identify a third-party individual. Section 40(2) is engaged because of the condition at section 40(3A), which concerns the personal data of third parties.
The department has obligations under data protection legislation and in law generally to protect personal data. This exempts personal data from release if disclosure would contravene any of the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Release would breach the first data protection principle since it would be unlawful and unfair to disclose the information. As section 40 is an absolute exemption, the department is not required to carry out a public interest test.
[1] This document is an extract of the due diligence that officials conducted on Simon Blagden in relation to his application for the appointment to be chair of Building Digital UK. This due diligence was shared with and approved by DCMS ministers prior to Simon’s appointment.