20/04/2011
Thank you for your further helpful clarification yesterday. Following that, I am writing to continue my response to your request of 16 March 2011. Taking the remaining items of your request in order, the requested information is as follows.
1. The total amount paid for external legal services between 1 April 2010 and 16 March 2011
£172,338.30 excluding VAT
2. During the same period which posts within the Wales Audit Office had delegated powers to request external legal services
The Compliance Specialist (legal), Compliance Manager & Information Officer, Head of Business Services, Head of HR and HR manager posts had authority to obtain external legal services during the period. (I should also explain that authorised persons could delegate their authority to staff to instruct under their supervision. This would enable, for example, an auditor under the supervision of an authorised person to instruct a solicitor. Also, an appointed auditor, which is not strictly a post within the WAO, but rather a statutory office, has the authority by virtue of that office, rather than any delegation, to obtain external legal services.)
3. My email of 13 April 2011 addresses this item.
4. The total amount paid to external consultants/advisers between 1 April 2010 and 16 March 2011 [which you have clarified as being expenditure on consultants and advisers for advice regarding the operation of WAO business rather than services that amount to the delivery of, or assistance in the delivery of, normal external work and specifically excluding certain services that are not ordinarily considered consultancy: legal advice, training (including coaching), actuarial services and pension administration, occupational health services and ongoing IT support]
£32,962.20 excluding VAT
5. A breakdown of the total in 4 above by type of consultancy/advice, e.g. HR Consultancy, procurement, environmental etc
Type of consultancy or advice (excluding VAT)
HR consultancy £22,531.25
IT consultancy £6,265.67
Accounting consultancy £3,847.00
Training consultancy £318.28
6. What was the number of Freedom of Information requests received by the Wales Audit Office between 1 April 2010 and 16 March 2011, and how many of these were internal? [i.e. requests that have been made from WAO email accounts or in hard copy in the name of someone who, at the time the request was made, was a member of WAO staff]
The total number of requests for information received in the period was 58. Of these, 12 were requests from WAO members of staff. These figures include requests that were in whole or in part requests for personal information of which the requester was the data subject (i.e. subject access requests under section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998).
7. Details of the cost of any overseas [i.e. outside the UK] trips undertaken by Wales Audit Office Partners paid for by [UK or Welsh] public monies from 1st April, 2007 to the current financial year
- The destination of each trip
- The date and purpose of each trip
- The partner(s) who undertook each trip
- The costs incurred for each trip. This should include the cost of any events attended, travel and subsistence
Please see attached document, Overseas travel by WAO partners from 1 April 2007 to 16 March 2011 borne by Welsh public money, which meets your request.
You also clarified yesterday that for overseas travel where the cost has been borne by overseas clients, you required details of the destination, dates of travel, the partner concerned and the purpose. I shall need further time to respond in respect of that, and I expect to be able to write to you with a response by 27 April 2011.
I have not applied any exemptions in relation to the items above, but, if you wish to complain about my handling of your request or have any queries, please email me.
Yours sincerely
Martin Peters
Rheolwr Cydymffurfiaeth a Swyddog Gwybodaeth/Compliance Manager & Information Officer
Swydddfa Archwilio Cymru/Wales Audit Office
029 2032 0526