FoI requests and personnel records

[Melchett01]

Having checked the existing FOI thread (now locked), just wondering if anybody has ever been successful in getting access to their PMA / ACOS Manning files via a FOI request?

Melchett

[Born To Be Mild]

Yep and a right riveting read it wasn't!
B T B M

[Melchett01]

BTBM - was it an easy process or did PMA / ACOS Manning try and put you off, put excessive hurdles in your path etc?

Melchett

[warty99]

I think that's covered by Data Protection rather than Freedom of Information? ... not that that should matter; you aren't required to name the act when making a request AFAIK! But if you're having problems it might be worth giving the officer of the Information Commissioner a call ... I haven't tried it myself but I hear from others that they are usually keen to help!

[sangiovese.]

So how long are your ACRs and F5000 kept after leaving? And no I don't have any skeletons in the closet! (They all came out while I was in - and no I didn't need to come out of the closet)

[Born To Be Mild]

Very simple, just ask PSF/HR/whatever for a form. It took a little time but was straightforward.

[L J R]

Agree with above. You don't even have to use the work 'Under the FOI....blaaaah etc. If your 'Request for information' (the 'correct' route to take - with a remit of 21 days to respond etc...) somehow fails - you are entitled to drum the 'FOI' word to get stuff. I understand there is a dedicated office at PMA that deals with such requests. unfortunately - they seem to not have all the documentation that one would expect to hold on oneself.

[Vasco Sodcat]

"they seem to not have all the documentation that one would expect to hold on oneself."

Cue conspiracy theorists...:=

[Bladdered]

Warty 99 is right, you are entitled to the information/file under DPA - this has been the case for some time, albeit not well advertised. You will get all of your old reports intact; however, the PMA personal file that has your NOK records and every bit of papers since attestation/application were culled significantly over a period. No sinister reason, just a need to reduce the amount of irrelevant stuff on file. A hated job for the desk SNCOs/officers who were already being stretched by lack of JPA functionality and internal establishment changes in prep for move to HW.

Just make sure that you define exactly what you want and remember you are entitled to it.

Ed

[Wader2]

It also depends on how far back you want to go. If it predates computors (mine did) the printouts can have significant gaps.

I simply sent photocopies from my log book and my records were manually corrected.

Not sure about 5000 series though. I know a colleague was considering some bike-shed justice if he ever met some of his previous fork-tongued, lilly-livered, reporting officers.:}