Information request for co-operation agreements with the European Union and overseas organisations, and the costs of any visits under the agreement
I am writing in response to your Freedom of Information request dated 17 May 2015 in which you asked:
- Copies of all EU and other overseas Co-operation Agreements/MOU entered into by PHSO since 2005.
- Identification of all PHSO participants by name, title and year in overseas visits under each Agreement/MoU.
- Cost-breakdown in relation to each visit.
Following a search for the information you have requested, I can confirm the only agreement falling within the scope of your request is the Memorandum of Understanding we had with the Public Protector South Africa. In 2010 we entered a three year partnership to explore areas for sharing learning and best practice. The partnership was reported in our annual reports for 2010/11 and 2011/12.
During the agreement there were two separate visits by PHSO staff to the Public Protector's office in Pretoria; details of the visits are listed below.
Visit 1
Date: August 2011
Participants: Director of Communications (Claire Forbes), Head of Review, Head of Learning and Development, Business Support Officer, Customer Services Officer and Casework Knowledge and Learning Manager.
The names of participant staff lower than Director grade have been withheld from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (third party personal data) because we do not have consent to release their names.
Costs: Six economy class return flights London – Johannesburg - £4,912.68
Hotel accommodation for six people - £2,723.63
Travel insurance - £277.60
Subsistence - £780
Total - £8,693.91
Further information about the visit can be found in the Executive Board Meeting Minutes for November 2011.
Visit 2
Date: February 2012
Participants: Dame Julie Mellor (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)
Costs: Hotel accommodation - £239.00 (this visit coincided with a personal holiday to South Africa; therefore all other costs were covered by Dame Julie personally).
If you would like to access our Memorandum of Understandings with UK bodies, please see:
I hope the information is helpful.
FOI/DP Officer
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman