In reply please quote: F12/4724/SL
A R Collingwood
Sent via email to:
Dear A R Collingwood
Thank you for your request of 25 June 2012 asking for copies of all testimonials received in relation to Dr Gordon Skinner. I have now considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
Please find enclosed a bundle of all the testimonials received. I have included all the testimonials we received up to the date of your request. As you will see, I have redacted (blanked out) any personal data from the testimonials. This includes names, contact details, references to health issues and treatment and any individually identifiable information. I believe this information is exempt from disclosure under the FOIA as it is the personal data of third parties. The exemption which I believe applies is:
Section 40(2) by virtue of Section 40(3)(a)(i) of the FOIA - Personal information of third parties. This relates to information requested which is about a third party, and the disclosure of which would be in breach of the Principles of the Data Protection Act 1998(DPA). In this instance we consider that the disclosure of this type of information would breach the First Principle, which requires that the processing of data is fair and lawful. We consider that the conditions in Schedule 2 of the DPA, relating to the processing of personal data, are not met and that, therefore, the release of the information you have requested, would be unlawful.
I have also removed any information which does not relate to Dr Skinner or the GMC's investigations of his practise and which is therefore not within the scope of your request. Please also note that a very small number of letters/emails are missing the enclosures/attachments they refer to. I was unable to find these enclosures and they were therefore either not received at the time or were not retained.
Once again, I sincerely apologise for the lengthy delay in replying to your request and thank you for your patience. I hope you find the documentation useful.
You can appeal against any refusal to supply information to you under FOIA. If you wish to appeal regarding the information I have redacted, please set out your grounds in writing and send to Julian Graves, Information Access Manager, at . You can also appeal to the Information Commissioner, the independent regulator of the FOIA. If appropriate, Mr Graves will provide the relevant contact details.
If you have any other queries regarding the way I have handled your request, please contact Julian Graves at the above email address.
Yours sincerely
Sarah Leigh
Information Access Officer
Direct Dial: 0161 923 6398
Email: