Anonymous letter from press conference 30 October 2020.

Summary

A requester sought a copy of an anonymous letter read by the Minister at a press conference on 30 October 2020 regarding staff morale and media coverage of the testing regime. The Department of Health and Social Care responded that the information was not held because the original document had been destroyed.

Key Facts

• The request was received on 2 November 2020 and responded to on 18 November 2020.
• The authority stated the original letter was destroyed, resulting in an 'Information not held' outcome.
• The requester sought an internal review specifically regarding whether the destruction complied with the FOI Act.
• The response includes a full transcription of the letter's content made by Georgina Jones on 12 November 2020.
• The letter expressed demoralization among staff due to media implying the testing regime relied on a single individual.

Data Disclosed

• 30 October 2020
• 29 October
• 2 November 2020
• 18 November 2020
• 12.11.2020
• 11.50am
• 11 October 2011
• 20 working days
• 1538749
• 01624 642621

Original Request

Please send me: A copy of the letter received by the Department of Health & Social Care Minister on Thursday 29 October which reads, in part, "Dear Minister, I'm writing to you to make you aware of how demoralised many of us feel over the media coverage of the last few weeks. The implication that our entire testing regime is down to one individual, and would not function without them is as far from the truth can be..." This is the letter that the Minister read part of during his press conference briefing on Friday 30 October, 2020. I believe that this is likely to be included with the Freedom of Information definition of 'all information held by authorities listed in Schedule 1 of the Act and which was created on or after 11 October 2011.' I would like the above information to be provided to me as electronic copies by email to me. If the files are too large to transfer by email, I am happy to attend your offices with a USB stick. If you prefer alternative arrangements, please contact me to discuss. If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that Manx law requires you to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already is already publicly available, please advise and assist me to locate the information I am seeking, with page references and URLs if necessary. If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should generally not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed. I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request. Internal review received clarification sought: We have confirmed in our response to you that the document had been destroyed. Please can you confirm what it is you require us to review? Clarification received: I'm asking that you review the destruction of the document: Was the document destroyed in accordance with the FOI Act (and associated rules/regulations)?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Dear Minister I am writing to you to make you aware of how demoralised many of us feel over the media coverage over the last few weeks. The implication that our entire testing regime is down to one individual and won’t function without them is as far from the truth as can be. The media reporting and social media comments that I have seen over the last week or so, have left me feeling “why do I bother?”
We are very lucky on island to have highly trained and skilled staff, who by working as a team have been able to put in place a testing regime that is second to none, and will be the envy of many countries. But for the media to portray that this is down to one individual, or push that individuals views as definitive, is highly ..... [Inaudible]..... personal and family life in order to keep our island safe. Dr Glover deserves praise for the work she has undertaken ..... [Inaudible]..... as part of a wider team. Those of us in the wider team have just quietly got on with our jobs, we are not looking for praise or recognition, but when you see headlines suggesting and portraying that one individual is responsible for all of the hard work undertaken by the entire team, it is a real body blow. The implication felt by many is that we are not qualified or competent enough to do our jobs, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I wish both the media and those on social media would think or publish a post, and think about the demoralising effect that ill-informed comments can have on those of us who have been working above and beyond, day in and day out, for over half a year now.
I will leave it there but I can’t help but say that the last week and a bit has felt like a real kick in the teeth to all of us who have worked so hard to ensure we have a system that works, and can’t emphasise enough how demoralised it has left many of us feeling who are just quietly getting on with our jobs in helping to keep our island safe.

Transcribed by Georgina Jones, 12.11.2020 @ 11.50am.

Interim Chief Executive: Kathryn Magson Freedom of Information Team Crookall House Demesne Road Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3QA Tel: (01624) 642621 Email: dhsc@foi.gov.im Website: www.gov.im/dhsc Our ref: 1538749 18th November 2020

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 2nd November 2020 and which states:

"Please send me:

A copy of the letter received by the Department of Health & Social Care Minister on Thursday 29 October which reads, in part, "Dear Minister, I'm writing to you to make you aware of how demoralised many of us feel over the media coverage of the last few weeks. The implication that our entire testing regime is down to one individual, and would not function without them is as far from the truth can be..." This is the letter that the Minister read part of during his press conference briefing on Friday 30 October, 2020. I believe that this is likely to be included with the Freedom of Information definition of 'all information held by authorities listed in Schedule 1 of the Act and which was created on or after 11 October 2011.' I would like the above information to be provided to me as electronic copies by email to me. If the files are too large to transfer by email, I am happy to attend your offices with a USB stick. If you prefer alternative arrangements, please contact me to discuss. If this request is too wide or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand that Manx law requires you to advise and assist requesters. If any of this information is already is already publicly available, please advise and assist me to locate the information I am seeking, with page references and URLs if necessary. If the release of any of this information is prohibited on the grounds of breach of confidence, I ask that you supply me with copies of the confidentiality agreement and remind you that information should generally not be treated as confidential if such an agreement has not been signed. I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request."

Our Response: The Department of Health and Social Care (the ‘Department’) can confirm that the Minister received the letter you refer on Thursday 29th October 2020. The letter was posted to Minister at his home address. When Minister receives any personal correspondence of this nature, to his home address, it is usual practice that this is destroyed. Prior to the Isle of Man Government Coronavirus Briefing (the ‘briefing’) held on 30th October 2020, the Minister sought clarification from the sender for permission to read the letter at the briefing to be held on 30th October 2020, the sender agreed as long as the Minister did not share their name, subsequently the letter was read out in its entirety less for the identity of the sender who requested anonymity. The Department can confirm that post briefing the original letter was destroyed by the Minister so therefore not held as defined under section 8(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (the ‘Act’) by the Minister and/or the Department. However pursuant to s15 of the Act to provide advice and assistance the briefing is available within the public domain via YouTube at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=kJGN4hk0BSc&list=UUAJ6- lntI73xR8ioRI5i-OA&index=1 In addition and accompanying this response is a typed transcript created on the 12th October 2020, unfortunately there are 2 [two] parts which are inaudible, these inaudible comments are at Time Frame: 18:51-19:07 and Time Frame: 19:15-19:18. The accompanying typed transcription is marked.............[Inaudible]................ to reflect the above. Please quote the reference number 1538749 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or

1. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
   In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely