.comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

UK Against Fluoridation

Monday, January 27, 2014

Press Release

HEALTH BODY HIDES MONEY SPENT

PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND HAS REFUSED TO REVEAL HOW MUCH PUBLIC MONEY IT HAS SPENT PURSUING THE SCHEME TO FLUORIDATE TAP WATER IN THOUSANDS OF HAMPSHIRE HOMES.

The organisation, funded by taxpayers, has declined a request from a locally elected politician to reveal how much public money they have spent on trying to impose fluoridated tap water on an unwilling population.

It was hoped that the scheme would be dropped when Public Health England took on the role of looking after public health, following abolition of the Strategic Health Authorities, especially as legally binding contract had not been signed with Southern Water.

The matter of whether there is an "existing" scheme for them to progress seems likely to subject to yet another legal ruling. It is widely known that local Councillors representing the areas to receive the fluoridated tap water are not in favour, at least not without a referendum with a result that supports the change.

Hampshire County Councillor David Harrison, long term campaigner against fluoridation, submitted a Freedom of Information request, in an attempt to reveal how much taxpayer's money Public Health England had spent progressing matters, but the the organisation has refused to say, claiming that it isn't in the interests of good governance to do so.

Copy of their letter (Page 2) :

2.


Our ref: 11/01/jb/472 Councillor David Harrison
dharrison100@aol.com

27 January 2014 Dear Councillor Harrison Re: Amount spent on fluoridation

Thank you for your email of 11 January 2013 in which you asked “how much public money has been spent by Public Health England [PHE] on progressing the issue of fluoride in tap water...(to include a best estimate of officers time, legal costs etc)”

Your email has been handled as a request for information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. In accordance with Section 1(1)(a) of the Act I can confirm that PHE does not hold the information requested. PHE does not record this information; there are no officers whose work is fully devoted to the issue and legal advice is obtained from the Department of Health’s legal services.

Please note that the FOI Act only covers information held by a public authority. We are not required to create new information or to record information not needed for our own business purposes. Nor are we obliged to create a best estimate in order to respond to your request and to do so would be poor information governance.

If you have any queries regarding the information that has been supplied to you, please refer them to me in the first instance. If you are dissatisfied with this response and would like to request an internal review, then please contact Mr George Stafford at the address above or by emailing complaints@phe.gov.uk.

Please note that you have the right to an independent review by the Information Commissioner’s Office if a complaint cannot be resolved through the PHE complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted by writing to Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Jonathan Bennett
Freedom of Information Officer

3.

Councillor Harrison says " When Public Health England was set up, we got all the usual promises about how open and transparent they would be in all their dealings.

This is our money they are spending and we are entitled to know the truth. The scheme isn't wanted. It never has been. It never will be. Public Health England are acting like they have a blank cheque to waste our money. It is utterly disgraceful".



Contact Councillor Harrison by telephone number 02380 864500, e-mail : dharrison100@aol.com or Facebook Page “Councillor David Harrison”.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home