§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of his Department's agencies have procedures to identify persistent inquirers for information. [53949]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department's Executive Agencies are the responsibility of their Chief Executives. I have asked them to reply to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from G. K. Bruce to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your question about procedures to identify persistent enquirers for information.The Pesticides Safety Directorate aims to respond helpfully to all enquirers for information and has no procedures in place to identify persistent enquirers.Letter from P. I. Stanley to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), to your question concerning procedures to identify persistent enquiries for information.1212WRequests for information under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information are routinely monitored, but it has not been found necessary to introduce specific procedures to identify persistent enquiries.Letter from Dr. J. M. Rutter to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 8 October 1998:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about which of his Department's agencies have procedures to identify persistent enquirers for information.Although the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) monitors all requests for information under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it has not been found necessary to introduce specific procedures for persistent inquirers. The VMD follows the guidance on interpretation of the Code issued by the Office of Public Service.Letter from Johnston McNeill to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food enquiring whether agencies have procedures to identify persistent enquirers for information has been passed to me to respond on behalf of this Executive Agency.The MHS receives many requests for information from various sources and aims to respond helpfully to all such requests. The Agency does not have any formal procedures to identify persistent enquirers.Letter from T. W. A. Little to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
The Minister has asked me to reply to your question on the procedures in place at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) to identify persistent enquirers for information.I can confirm that the VLA has a process in place for tracking all enquiries addressed to the Agency.Letter from Sarah Nason to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
Mr. Nick Brown has asked me to reply, in respect of the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA), to your question about which of his Department's agencies have procedures to identify persistent enquirers for information.In accordance with FRCA's Charter and Statement of Service Standards correspondence is recorded and monitored locally. FRCA Directors report on a quarterly basis to the Agency's Management Board so that service improvements and opportunities for efficiencies can be identified. This process should ensure the identification of persistent enquirers.Letter from P. W. Greig-Smith to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 22 October 1998:
As Agency Chief Executive, I am responding to your question to the Minister of Agriculture in relation to the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS).With regard to the operation of monitoring of persistent inquirers for information, CEFAS receives many requests from individuals and organisations seeking information. These are monitored as required by the Agency's obligations under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, and the Environmental Information Regulations 1992.There are no specific procedures by which people who make frequent requests are identified, but any such cases would be evident from inspection of the records when annual summaries are prepared.