Agenda item

5.1

Mr. Martin Brighton asked the following questions which were answered by the appropriate Cabinet Members as shown:-

5.2

How are senior personnel held accountable when eventually obliged to disclose information that should have been freely available in the first place?

5.3

Councillor Julie Dore (Leader) responded that she believed Mr Brighton was referring to a situation where he had asked for information under the Freedom of Information Act  and had not received it and following Mr Brighton’s further enquiries, he had then received the information requested, from which he had deduced that that the Council was obliged to provide the information. She added that she had been involved in two Freedom of Information requests and it had been difficult to determine when all the information in possession of the Council had been gathered to the satisfaction of the person requesting the information. Therefore, a certain amount of ambiguity could be created in these circumstances.  

5.4

In this particular case, if someone within the Council or Sheffield Homes had not released the information, Councillor Dore would expect them to learn from this as she believed that any information not released had occurred due a misunderstanding or the belief that the information was not appropriate for release.

5.5

Could the Leader respond to Mr Brighton’s question asked at the Cabinet meeting on 17 October as to whether she knew why she had not received his e-mail she requested at the meeting of the Council on 3^rd October, 2012 and Councillor Harpham’s response, at the last Cabinet meeting, that he would refer this question to Councillor Dore?  

5.6

Councillor Dore responded that, unless she knew what the e-mail was, she was unable to respond. She, therefore, asked Mr. Brighton to supply a written copy of the question in order that she could respond. However, she added that, as was the usual practice, the Council collated certain e-mails submitted by the public where it was thought that their content was inappropriate. She asked Mr Brighton whether he was prepared to forward to her a written copy of the e-mail in question, to which Mr Brighton responded that he would e-mail her the question.

5.7

Does the Leader believe that senior personnel should set an example for ensuring compliance with the Freedom of Information Act?

5.8

Councillor Dore responded that she believed that everyone should seek to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and that Council Members and officers strove to do so.

5.9

Who makes the decisions whether or not to disclose information under the Freedom of Information Act – elected Members or officers?

5.10

Councillor Dore responded that officers made original decisions but sometimes requests reached elected Members, usually in circumstances when those requesting information felt that they had not received the information they required. She had been involved in two cases and believed that the information requested had been sent in both cases.   

5.11

Has there been any function ceded to the Sheffield Housing Company that has not been placed in the public domain and what was the ultimate function of the Sheffield Housing Company?  

5.12

Councillor Harry Harpham (Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods) responded that no function had been ceded to the Housing Company outside of the public domain. He also stated that the ultimate function of the Company was to build homes.