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External Training spend

Date released
12 March 2020
Request number
202002066
Release of information under
Freedom of Information Act 2000

Information requested

 Under the Freedom of Information Act I would like to know the following information:

  • What is your external training budget for the financial year 2020-2021?
  • How much of this budget will be allocated to the following training areas: Safeguarding, Investigations, Disclosure, Counter-Terrorism?
  • What was your external training spend for the last financial year?
  • What was your external training spend for the last financial year in the categories of Safeguarding, Disclosure, Investigations, Counter-Terrorism?

Information released

I confirm that under Section 1 of the FOIA, that we hold information relevant to your request. However, we are refusing your request under Section 22 (Information intended for future publication) of the FOIA.

We have considered the public interest test for this information (see ICO Guidance on section 22 ).

Factors for release:

  • Issues related to the nuclear industry are subject to close scrutiny and debate, there is a public interest in information related to nuclear activities and the release of such information.
  • Use of the exemption provides no further information to the public and represents a frustration of ONR’s policy of openness and transparency.

Factors against disclosure:

  • Disclosing the information requested at this early stage may negatively impact upon our publication timetable. The information requested is published annually as part of ONR’s publications scheme in our Annual Report and Accounts, which is publically available on our website.
  • The release of this information in advance of publication could lead to confusion in the public sphere. ONR’s overall 2020/21 budget is still subject to final ministerial approval. Release of the information at this time would therefore not be consistent with accepted practices concerning formal budget approval processes. In addition, forecasts for ONR’s external training spend for the 2019/20 financial year are still to be confirmed by our annual audit process.
  • It is necessary to avoid the possibility of the requester gaining any advantage in obtaining the information prior to the general publication.

Conclusion

We have concluded that it is not in the public interest to release this information at this stage. In relation to your first two questions, we have taken into account that the information will be published at a later date and will be publically available on our website, as well as the information being still subject to ministerial approval.

In relation to your third and fourth questions concerning ONR’s external training spend for the last financial year, our forecasts are still to be confirmed by our annual audit process. These figures will be included in the audited Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/20 which will be laid in Parliament in June 2020, and subsequently published on our website.

Exemptions applied

Section 1 and 22.

PIT (Public Interest Test) if applicable

Yes, please see above.