Freedom of Information request (FOI 22/1062)
Published 17 January 2024
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FOI 22/1062
21st December 2022
Dear
Thank you for your information request, dated 27 October. Thank you also for responding to our request for clarification, dated 24 November. We apologise that our reply to your request is late.
Having reviewed your request further, including your points of clarification, we can confirm that the MHRA does hold some of the information that you have requested. However, we have also determined that the information is exempt under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act and we cannot process your request any further.
Section 12 of the Act allows public authorities to refuse requests where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for central government is set at £600. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 24 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
In order to process your request in its entirety we would need to review detailed financial transactions, dating back to 2016, to identify spend against particular teams and individuals. The Customer Services team from 2016 to 2020 was a team of five, that was part of a bigger team that carried out other functions. We judge that in answering your request we would need to review line by line costs incurred during this period to identify those which are specific to individuals within the Customer Services team as existed at the time. The ability for us to do that is also impacted by the restructure which the agency has gone through over the last twelve months, which included moving to an updated version of its financial accounts software, reflecting the new structure and associated cost codes.
Taking these points together we consider that it would take longer than 24 working hours for us to compile the information requested in your 11 questions.
We suggest that you narrow your request by reducing the overall time period which your questions cover.
Please note that substantially similar requests made within 60 working days of an original request can be aggregated into one for the purposes of calculating a cost limit, meaning that section 12 could still apply.
If you have a query about the information provided, please reply to this email. Once again we do apologise for the delay in this response.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date you receive this response and addressed to: info@mhra.gov.uk
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you were to remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you would have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please bear in mind that the Information Commissioner will not normally review our handling of your request unless you have first contacted us to conduct an internal review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely,
MHRA FOI Team