I am writing further to your information request of 17 October 2015, in which you asked for the number of pre-action letters which have been issued to the PHSO in the last five years. In particular you would like the cases listed by year, detailing the outcome and including the body the complaint was against.
You have also asked for information on the cases for which we received pre-action letters which have proceeded to a Judicial Review hearing. In particular you want information on who brought the case, the date of the hearing, the location, by whom it was heard, and the outcome.
In the relevant period (October 2010 – October 2015) we received a total of 75 pre-action letters. The number received per year is:
- 2010 – 5 (from October)
- 2011 – 9
- 2012 – 11
- 2013 – 13
- 2014 – 20
- 2015 – 17 (up to and including October)
It should be noted that we received more than one pre-action letter for some cases, one which proceeded to a Judicial Review hearing.
Please see the attached for the following:
- the pre-action letters received from October 2010 to October 2015, and
- the pre-action letters which proceeded to a Judicial Review hearing.
I hope the information I have provided is helpful. If you have any further queries, or would like to ask for a review of my decision, you can do so by writing to foiofficer@ombudsman.org.uk.
If you still have concerns after that, you can ask the Information Commissioner’s Office to look into your case. Their contact details are available on their website.
Yours sincerely
FOI/DP Officer