Freedom of Information Act request to the Home Office about a review or re-investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

by **Tony Bennett** 20.03.10 8:43

Here's a letter I sent yesterday to The Home Office.

It couldn't be easier to file a Freedom of Information Act request to the Home Office.

Just e-mail your questions to:

public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Below is my letter. You can copy and paste as much as you like. Strictly speaking only the questions need to be in the letter, but I included some background since, where there is a doubt as to whether information should be released, the issue of the degree of public interest is highly relevant (see FOI Act).

I would just add this.

It would have a significant impact if hundreds of people were suddenly all to e-mail these same 12 questions to the Home Office:

From: Anthony Bennett 66 Chippingfield
Tel: 01279 635789 HARLOW
e-mail: ajsbennett@btinternet.com Essex
CM17 0DJ

Home Office Friday 19 March 2010
Head of Freedom of Information Act Section
Direct Communications Unit
2 Marsham Street
LONDON
SW1P 4DF

By e-mail to public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
And by hard copy

Dear Sir/Madam

re: Questions to the Home Office Freedom of Information Act Section - Involvement by the Home Office with the McCanns regarding a possible review or re-investigation into the disappearahce of Madeleine McCann

During the past two weeks, several newspapers have referred to the following matters in relation to the Madeleine McCann case:

a) one or more meetings between Home Secretary Alan Johnson and the McCanns
b) several meetings between the McCanns and staff of the Home Office
c) the commencement of a ‘scoping exercise’ to evaluate what form any review or re-investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance may take
d) the appointment of the Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Mr Jim Gamble, to advise the Home Office as to which police force should carry out any review or re-investigation
e) the reported decision by Jim Gamble and the Home Office to appoint West Yorkshire Police to carry out a review or re-investigation.

It is evident that there remains huge public interest in and beyond the U.K. in what really happened to Madeleine McCann, which was described as recently as 19 February by the McCanns’ chief public relations adviser, Mr Clarence Mitchell, as ‘a complete mystery. The clear public interest will therefore be served by your section providing full answers as soon as possible to the following questions under the Freedom of Information Act. We would add that the answers to these questions must be readily available to officials and so the cost of providing them should be minimal. Here are the questions:

1. On what date or dates has the Home Secretary Alan Johnson had meetings with one or both of the McCanns?
2. Who else was present at these meetings: in particular, was any lawyer or other adviser for the McCanns present?
3. On what dates did meetings take place between one or both of the McCanns and staff of the Home Office?
4. Please identify all the staff who met with the McCanns and again identify whether the McCanns had legal or other representatives with them.
5. On what date did the McCanns first approach the Home Office asking for a review or re-investigation by a British police force into Madeleine’s disappearance?
6. Is the Home Office carrying out what the Daily Telegraph called ‘a scoping exercise’ to evaluate what form any review or re-investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance may take’ and, if so, on what date did that scooping exercise
commence?
7. Why, according to the press, was Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Mr Jim Gamble, given the role of advising the Home Office as to which police force should carry out any review or re-investigation?
8. On what date did the Home Secretary ask Mr Gamble to perform this role?
9. On what date did Mr Gamble make his recommendation?
10. Did he, as reported, recommend West Yorkshire Police to carry out a review or re-investigation?
11. Has West Yorkshire Police, as reported, been asked to carry out a review or re-investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?
12. If so, what is the brief or remit that the Home Office has given to West Yorkshire Police?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Bennett

by **sharonl** 22.03.10 7:32

If you have not already done so, please support the cause by sending the letter into the home office. The letter can also be downloaded here http://tinyurl.com/yjj8sfh

If you would prefer word document format, please e-mail me.
sharon-lawrence@supanet.com

To assist further could you please circulate this message on twitter, facebook etc. :D

by Ruby 22.03.10 10:45

Sent mine yesterday Sharonl rock

by **Tony Bennett** 05.06.10 10:09

Our original request for answers to 12 questions under the FOI Act to the Home Office was made on Friday 19 March, received by the Home Office that day by e-mail.

The FOI Act stipulates that responses must be made within a maximum of 20 working days, which brings us to, er, Friday 16 April.

It is now Saturday 5 June and 55 working days have gone by, 35 more than the normal permitted maximum of 20.

The alleged officlal reason for the delay, in a case which has been the most publicised missing child case in the world ever, is that the Home Office are trying to decide whether, erm, it is 'in the public interest' to give us the answers to these questions.

Our questions weren't that awkward.

Were they?

Here's a reminder, nearly 3 months later, of what they were:

1. On what date or dates has the Home Secretary Alan Johnson had meetings with one or both of the McCanns?

2. Who else was present at these meetings: in particular, was any lawyer or other adviser for the McCanns present?

3. On what dates did meetings take place between one or both of the McCanns and staff of the Home Office?

4. Please identify all the staff who met with the McCanns and again identify whether the McCanns had legal or other representatives with them.

5. On what date did the McCanns first approach the Home Office asking for a review or re-investigation by a British police force into Madeleine’s disappearance?

6. Is the Home Office carrying out what the Daily Telegraph called ‘a scoping exercise’ to evaluate what form any review or re-investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance may take’ and, if so, on what date did that scooping exercise commnece?

7. Why, according to the press, was Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Mr Jim Gamble, given the role of advising the Home Office as to which police force should carry out any review or re-investigation?

8. On what date did the Home Secretary ask Mr Gamble to perform this role?

9. On what date did Mr Gamble make his recommendation?

10. Did he, as reported, recommend West Yorkshire Police to carry out a review or re-investigation?

11. Has West Yorkshire Police, as reported, been asked to carry out a review or re-investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?

12. If so, what is the brief or remit that the Home Office has given to West Yorkshire Police?