Freedom of Information Request - 19 January 2010
Dear University of Salford,
1. How many University of Salford employees have been suspended in each of the last three years (2007, 2008 and 2009)?
2. Please state how long each suspension lasted.
3. Please indicate the nature of the alleged offence, and any disciplinary action taken against each member of staff (eg termination of employment, written warning, etc.)
4. For staff suspended on full pay, please provide the total amount paid to them while they were suspended.
5. Please also supply the total cost of the suspensions in 'real terms' i.e, the cost of covering the members of staff suspended by either the provision of cover or overtime payments made to existing staff who had to cover the normal jobs of the suspended staff.
Yours faithfully,
R. Pritchard
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University of Salford - 2 February 2010
Dear Mr Pritchard,
I write in response to your request for information made to the University of Salford under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 via www.whatdotheyknow.com. This request will not be processed because it, along with a number of other requests, is being treated as vexatious
under section 14(1) of the Act.
Therefore, in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.
You have the right to complain against the handling of your requests. If you wish to complain, please set out in writing your ground(s) of complaint and send to Matthew Stephenson, Head of Information Governance, at the address below.
Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner at the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, telephone 01625 545 700, website www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
Matthew Stephenson
Head of Information Governance
Governance Services
University of Salford
Clifford Whitworth Building
Salford
M5 4WT
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19 February 2010 - Dear University of Salford,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of University of Salford's handling of my FOI request 'Suspension of Staff'.
I am dissatisfied by your response. You have refused my request as vexatious under section 14(1) of the Act. You have not given any reasons at all to support your decision. In fact, I think you've just made it up!
I put it to you that it is the University of Salford's flagrant disregard for the Act that is vexatious.
I believe that the University of Salford is in breach of at least the following sections of the Act:
1: General right of access to information held by public authorities
14: Vexatious or repeated requests
16: Duty to provide advice and assistance
17: Refusal of request
and probably others too.
This request has a serious public interest and it certainly isn't frivolous. It relates to serious concerns raised in several fora about the University of Salford and its use of public money, and in particular its use of its disciplinary processes against members of staff. You have provided no arguments at all to support your decision to reject this request as vexatious.
I wait in hope for the outcome of your internal review.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/su...
Yours faithfully,
R. Pritchard
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And an example of wasting taxpayer money: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/justice/article1602900.ece
