Submissions to central Government

Under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide me with:
(a) All documents - including emails - submitted by your organisation to central government departments and/or government ministers, as part of the Coalition Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review since 12^th May 2010. This would include any letters, briefings or option papers prepared by your organisation outlining the impact that changes and/or reductions to its budget(s) may have on the service(s) you deliver.

(b) All documents - including emails - submitted by your organisation to central government departments or government ministers, as part of the Coalition Government’s Public Bodies Review since 12^th May 2010. This would also include any letters, briefings or option papers prepared by your organisation outlining the impact that reform or abolition would have on the services you deliver.

(c)  Any revised business, explanatory papers, options papers or letters submitted by your organisation (including electronic communications) to central government departments or government ministers to accommodate changes to your organisation’s budgets following this year's Comprehensive Spending review.

(d) Any revised business, explanatory papers, options papers or letters submitted by your organisation (including electronic communications) to central government departments or government ministers to accommodate changes to your organisation’s structure following this year's Public Bodies Review.

(e) Any further correspondence (i) received by your organisation directly from ministers, or their offices, and (ii) sent to ministers, or their offices, regarding the affect of the (A) Comprehensive Spending Review and (B) Public Bodies Review on your organisation since 12 May 2010.This would also include any written or electronic correspondence that details the process your organisation should follow in order to make such submissions to these reviews. 

Thank you for your e-mail dated 14^th December 2010.  We are pleased to provide you with the following information and respond to each of your questions in turn.  Please note that not all of the information you have requested is held by Ordnance Survey, and this is detailed where applicable. Some information you have requested is exempt under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000, and this is also detailed where applicable.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, please provide me with:

(a) I can confirm that Ordnance Survey does hold one relevant document, however I regret to inform you that with regard to this information, your request falls within the Commercial Interests exemption under Section 43 (2) and Formulation of Government Policy exemption under Section 35 (1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

We consider the Commercial Interests exemption applies because the draft form of the Ordnance Survey Business Plan which has been submitted to a central government department is commercially sensitive.  Ordnance Survey operates in a highly competitive market, and knowledge of the information contained within our Business Plan is likely to undermine our competitive position in the market and is therefore highly likely to prejudice our Commercial Interests as well as potentially prejudicing the interests of others within this marketplace.

We also consider that the Formulation of Government Policy exemption applies, as the information contained within the Ordnance Survey business plan is in the early stages of a policy process where consultation occurs and recommendations are then put to our minister.  Release of this draft information could harm the internal deliberative process of policy making and could ultimately affect the quality of government policy making, which would be undermined, therefore we will not be releasing this specific information to you.

(b) Ordnance Survey has made no direct submissions to government departments or government ministers as part of the Public Bodies Review since 12^th May 2010. Therefore, this information is not held.

(c) Ordnance Survey has made no direct submission to central government departments or government ministers in relation to the organisation’s budget following the Comprehensive Spending Review, therefore this information is not held.

(d) Ordnance Survey has made no direct submissions to central government or government ministers in relation to changes in the organisation’s structure, therefore this information is not held.

(e) Ordnance Survey has not received/sent further correspondence directly from/to ministers or their offices regarding the affect of the Comprehensive Spending Review, and is not subject to the Public Bodies Review so none of the requested information is held.

To the extent that the Public interest test applies (section 17 FOIA) in relation to your question (a), we have determined that there is public interest to ensure companies are able to compete fairly in a competitive market.
In addition, there is a strong public interest that departments are able to seek views, consult and discuss possible scenarios in a private space, so that any decisions taken can take account of all views. We consider the public interest in withholding the information held by Ordnance Survey under your question (a) does outweigh that of disclosure on this occasion.

Please note that your enquiry has been processed according to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. If you are unhappy with our response, you may raise an appeal to our Appeals Officer at:

FOI Appeals Officer
Customer Service Centre
Ordnance Survey
Adanac Drive
SOUTHAMPTON
SO16 0AS

Please include the reference number below. The Appeals Officer will ensure that the process has been followed correctly, questioning any decisions taken regarding the original response and recommending disclosure of additional information if appropriate.

Thank you for your enquiry.

Reference number: FOI10125/December 2010