Who guards the guards?
I've just spotted recent decision from the Information Commissioner which condemns what was then the Department for Constitutional Affairs for taking the 'unreasonable length of time' of almost seven months to weigh up whether it was in the public interest to disclose a particular report.
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What abject hypocricy from the Information Commissioner.
They have been "considering" a case I referred to them for almost three years and every few months when I ask about it, I am told they "hope to be able to issue a decision shortly".
Considering the public authority is the Cabinet Office, I already know they will not uphold my complaint, so you would think they would just end it, wouldn't you?
On May 3rd 2007 I wrote to the ICO to refer what I considered an incorrect response from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ to an FOI request I made.
A week or two later I received a letter from the ICO saying they had assigned a case officer to my complaint.
I have heard nothing from them until about 2 weeks ago, when I received an email from them stating that they apologise for the delay, which is due to the large number of cases they receive. They also stated they have set up specialist 'teams' within their office and - good news! - my case has now been assigned a case-officer... in their 'central government team'.
So, in 9 months, my case has gone kind of backwards and sideways within the ICO. Backwards, because I had been assigned a case officer, but then it appears I no longer did have a case officer, but they've now (9 months later) given me a case officer. And sideways, because I've been given a case officer in their 'specialist' central government team. Why has my case, which involves the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ, and has absolutely nothing to do with central government, been referred to that team???
I despair. I genuinely do...