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- Freedom of Information Act 2000
- The Publication Scheme
- Finding Information
- Requesting Access to Information
- Exemptions
- Comments
- Copyright
1. Freedom of Information Act 2000
Since January 2005, Royal Mail Group is subject to new regulations under the Freedom of Information Act. The main purpose of the Act is to give a general right of access to all types of unpublished recorded information held by such authorities.
Individuals already have the right of access to information about themselves under the Data Protection Act 1998. The Freedom of Information Act does not adversely affect this right, but extends this right to allow public access to all types of non-personal information held by public authorities. Anyone making a request in writing for information not listed in an authority's publication scheme and not the subject of any of the exemptions set out in the Act, has:
- the right to be told whether the information exists, and
- the right to receive the information within 20 working days and where possible, in the manner requested.
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2. The Publication Scheme
Classes of information that we currently publish or intend to publish in the future, and that are readily available to members of the public, are listed in our Publication Scheme. Examples of material within each class, how these can be obtained and links to relevant websites where available are also given.
We will continue to update the material shown in the Annex to this scheme and review it annually, or as directed by the Information Commissioner. Within the approved classes listed in the Annex to this scheme, we reserve the right to add from time to time publications about new products and services we may introduce for our customers, or to delete information about products and services that we have withdrawn.
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3. Finding Information
A lot of information is already published or freely available, so check first on Royal Mail's websites and in our Publication Scheme or consider if our Enquiries Helpline can answer your enquiry over the phone - this will usually be the quickest and cheapest way to find what you are looking for. Useful addresses and contact points are given below.
Information listed is available from the following places:
Websites:
Helplines:
- Royal Mail enquiries: 08457 740 740
(English and Welsh)
- Post Office® Helpline: 08457 22 33 44
(Welsh 08457 468469)
- Parcelforce Worldwide: 08708 50 11 50
(Welsh 08007 313428)
- Royal Mail Textphone for hearing impaired customers: 08456 00 06 06
(Welsh 08456 030800)
- Post Office® Textphone for hearing impaired customers: 08457 22 33 44
(Welsh 08456 030800)
- Parcelforce Worldwide Textphone for hearing impaired customers: 08000 855857
Further contact details for particular services will be found at Post Office® branches.
Archive:
Heritage
Royal Mail
Freeling House
Phoenix Place
LONDON
WC1X 0DL
e-mail: heritage@royalmail.com
telephone: 020 7239 2570
fax: 020 7239 2576
web-site: www.royalmailgroup.com/heritage
Archive material listed in the scheme is available to view in person at the above address.
Opening Hours: 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Extended opening to 7 pm on Thursdays. Occasional opening on selected Saturdays - please contact us for details. Closed Bank Holidays, Maundy Thursday afternoon and Christmas week.
Copies of archive material: Please note that for conservation purposes, the Archivist may refuse to photocopy delicate items.
Other Useful Website Addresses
The information you are looking for may also be available from the following organisations or on their websites. Royal Mail takes no responsibility for, nor warrants the accuracy of information contained on any external sites:
General Logistics Systems (GLS) - www.gls-holdings.com
Consignia France - www.consignia.fr
RM Netherlands - www.rm-nl.nl
Citipost Group - www.citipost.com
Postcomm - www.postcomm.gov.uk
Postwatch - www.postwatch.co.uk
London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes -
www.gazettes-online.co.uk
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4. Requesting Access to Information
Before making a request for information, please check the Frequently Asked Questions section. If you would like help or advice on making your request, please contact our general Enquiries Line on 08457 740 740, or refer to the Finding Information above.
If the information you want isn't published or available from anywhere else, you can either use our online application form, or simply write a letter to the Freedom of Information Unit at the following address:
Freedom of Information Unit
Company Secretary's Office
Royal Mail Group plc
5th Floor
148 Old Street
LONDON
EC1V 9HQ
Please clearly mark across the top of the letter and on the envelope that your letter is for the 'Freedom of Information Unit' - this will make sure it gets dealt with properly and will avoid unnecessary delay.
When writing to us, please:
- Make sure that you give a valid address for us to contact you (e-mail or postal)
- Make your letter short, clear and, most importantly, give a reasonable description of the information you want. If your request is vague or too broad we might not be able to deal with it, or it could involve unnecessary cost.
- If you would like somebody to telephone you to discuss the request, please include your telephone number.
If you have any general enquiries about the Freedom of Information Act, you can also e-mail the FOI Unit at foi@royalmail.com.
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5. Exemptions
Although the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of access to unpublished information, it recognises that there are some classes of material which it would not be appropriate to make generally available. The Act (sections 21 - 44) therefore lists a number of circumstances where information may be withheld. Such exemptions include:
- Information intended for future publication.
- Information that could prejudice the commercial interests of Royal Mail Group plc or any other parties.
- Information dealing with security matters, including national security and defence.
- Information prejudicial to the health and safety of any individual.
- Information that might prejudice international relations or relations between administrations within the UK.
- Information that might prejudice the economic interests of the UK.
- Information concerned with investigations and proceedings conducted by Royal Mail Group plc or which are or were the subject of court proceedings.
- Information provided to Royal Mail Group plc in confidence.
- Personal information about the applicant or which contravenes the Data Protection Act 1998.
- Information whose disclosure might give rise to a claim to legal professional privilege.
- Information the disclosure of which is prohibited under any enactment, is incompatible with any Community obligation or would constitute a contempt of court.
- Information that is the intellectual property of any third party or the subject of a confidentiality agreement with one.
- Information about correspondence with H.M. The Queen.
We also reserve the right under sections 12 and 14 of the Act to refuse a request where:
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the cost of researching, extracting or copying the information is disproportionately high, |
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the request is vexatious, or |
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we have recently complied with an identical or substantially similar request from the same applicant. |
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6. Comments
If you have any comments about the Royal Mail Group publication scheme, or if you feel we have not supplied information in accordance with the scheme, you should write in the first instance to:
Martin Rush
Head of Information Compliance
Royal Mail Group plc
148 Old Street
LONDON
EC1V 9HQ
Email: martin.rush@royalmail.com
An internal panel will then review the decision, and you will be advised of the outcome.
If, after investigation of your complaint, you remain dissatisfied then you may refer your complaint to the Information Commissioner at:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
WILMSLOW
SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545745
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: data@dataprotection.gov.uk
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7. Copyright
The provision of information by Royal Mail Group plc under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 does not imply a right to reproduce or publish such information. Reproducing material supplied by us under the Act without the express permission of Royal Mail Group plc may be an infringement of copyright. Requests for permission to reproduce or publish any information so provided should be addressed to:
Group IP & Copyright
Royal Mail Group plc
Mail Media Centre
Stukely Street
LONDON
WC1V 7AB
Telephone: 020 7421 2282
Fax: 020 7421 2260
Email: stewart.tyson@royalmail.com
If permission is granted, it may be subject to a separate licence agreement, and the source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged in any publication. We may charge a fee for supplying copies of copyright material for reproduction.
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