10 Downing Street replies to MF's FOI Act questions

by **Tony Bennett** 08.07.11 1:55

Nicholas Howard from the Prime Minister's Office has replied by a letter dated 5 July 2011 to our Freedom of Information Act questions sent to Prime Minister David Cameron on 18 May 2011. Our letter also included many other matters.

10 Downing Street's 3-page reply is now on our website, click on the 'Home' page and scroll down a little way until the yellow box marked 'NEW!'

Sorry I can't post them up here as I have no scanner. I can fax copies to anyone who wants to see them.

Sorry also that the pages are in the wrong order on the site, namely pages 1, 3 then 2.

Here are the questions we asked:

REST OF LETTER SNIPPED

Finally, we have these Freedom of Information Act questions to which we would appreciate having answers within the next 20 working days:

1. Please specify on what dates you or your staff, in connection with the Madeleine McCann case, have either met, or had e-mail or telephone communication with all the following:

a) Dr Gerald McCann
b) Dr Kate McCann
c) Clarence Mitchell
d) any other adviser to the McCanns
e) Sir Paul Stephenson
f) any other officers of the Metropolitan Police
g) any members of the family of Rupert Murdoch
h) any staff of the Sun
i) any staff of the News of the World.

2. On what date did you agree with the Home Secretary and Sir Paul Stephenson that the Met Police (Scotland Yard) should carry out a review of the case costing £3.5 million?

3. On what date did you agree with the Editor of the Sun that they would simultaneously publish your letter in reply to the letter from Dr Gerald McCann?

Thank you again for receiving our petition in October and we look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Bennett
Secretary
For the Committee of The Madeleine Foundation

by Gillyspot 08.07.11 2:06

Thanks Tony

I have read the response and it is pretty much what I would expect from them.

So much for "freedom of information"!

by **Tony Bennett** 08.07.11 2:19

honeybunch wrote:Thanks Tony
.
I have read the response and it is pretty much what I would expect from them.

So much for "freedom of information"!

Yes, it's appalling, all three questions have simply not been answered. We shall certainly be asking for a review.

It is interesting that in this most public of all cases, the McCanns' letter to the Prime Minister is deemed 'private' and cannot be published.

Cameron, of course, met the McCanns before he was elected Prime Minister.

The answer to Question 2 suggests that the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and Sir Paul Stephenson all met up in the early hours of 12 May, agreed a £3.5 million fund for the Met's Review, all just in time for the Sun's presses to roll and announce this as their 'Exclusive' by breakfast time!

by Guest 08.07.11 2:37

The Freedom of Information Act was supposed to have made things more transparent but
if they dont want to answer something they just dont answer it which really makes a mockery of the whole Act.

by **PeterMac** 08.07.11 15:54

Cherry wrote:The Freedom of Information Act was supposed to have made things more transparent but
if they dont want to answer something they just dont answer it which really makes a mockery of the whole Act.

Who do you think drafted the Bill ?
Who do you think debated it ?
Who do you think passed it into law ?