Letter to the Information Commissioner, 5th March 2007
Dear Rajat Jain
In reply to your letter 28th Feb 07, we have to say how dispirited we are to learn that the ICO have seen fit to return yet again to the fraudulent Valuation Office Agency for even more additional queries? This can only be seen as another 'old pals act'.
What the ICO is doing here is simply circumnavigating around its duty! Surely it is now time to bye-pass this lying agency and move on and make your own assessment regarding the VOA's corrupt acts against us?
It would be an enormous step forward for the ICO to confirm that the Valuation Office Agency is guilty of corruptly handling our case. It would of course be a tremendous boost towards the ICO's contribution towards cementing the Freedom Of Information Act, something of which the nation is in dire need!
Like untold thousands of taxpaying citizens we understand the reluctance of public sector workers to point the finger - to lay blame for fraudulent or corrupt acts by colleagues. The outcome being that the 'public sectors squalid cover-up culture' is ever increasing, with the result that without such up front honesty, a cesspit of denial has emerged. It is this cesspit that covers-up for public sector wrongdoing that will choke the FOI act.
That the ICO simply pursuing the VOA yet again means we are being subjected to another injudicious investigation where complaint procedure deceits, with its never-ending spin-doctoring, its manipulation of the truth and bias against honest complainants are a severe impediment to public administration accountability.
These devised long drawn out 'old pals act' proceedings also blight the human rights of complaining clients who naively expect these tax-funded institutions to act in good faith. Instead we are surrounded by an immense public sector cover-up culture - this is painful for the taxpaying soul and sets up severe angst!
In all our dealings with this agency there is nothing to suggest it has a font of wisdom or up front honesty that one may draw upon.
It is overtly concerned with self-protection, and has been known to hold corrupt 'investigations' that gives false verdicts. The question is why does the ICO persist in pursuing this dysfunctional inept agency?
We are bemused that you are not searching elsewhere for an honest assessment of the VOA’s integrity. We hasten to add that we are not suggesting the biased Parliamentary Ombudsman's office, because it has a blind spot when it comes to public sector corruption!
Even the Lord Chancellors office and the Inland Revenue & Customs use the VOA as a sort of dumping receptacle to off-load any embarrassing ‘happenings’, it has become a dung heap of dirty deeds.
We find it inconceivable that the ICO, as the hopeful promoter of the Freedom Of Information Act is being bogged down by the corrupt VOA, whose very intransigence and its dislike of transparency allowed itself to become a citadel of public contempt and public abuse.
One wonders why the ICO persist with such an agency that many feel should be closed down?
When dealing with the VOA, there is no guarantee that one will be treated with honest transparency! We think this latest approach to the VOA is another public sector investigative cop-out.
We, along with other observers, feel a public sector cover-up huddle coming on, or that even a Kafkaesque public sector dark wheeze will emerge.
We ask what is being cooked-up? Who will be pulling the strings? Is the Parliamentary Ombudsman involved again, reinventing old lies and deceits?
Because of previous Parliamentary Ombudsman protection of the VOA we feel little will be done to get the VOA to open itself up to democratic transparency! This is why we feel the ICO should by-pass the VOA and come to a decision!
It is beginning to appear that after some 4 years this has become a mere public sector damage limitations exercise, where its ever long drawn out 'dragging of feet ploy' is purposely planned to kill off complainants enthusiasm.
Like many others, we knew (long before John Reid) that much within the public sector was 'unfit for service' and that there is enough evidence to prove it. Unfortunately, the collusive public sectors 'old pals acts' are thriving, helping at every twist and turn to diminish the FOI act.
We just hope that you will not be persuaded to push us back into even more nonsensical VOA negotiations!
Yours sincerely
AW & I Tanner
Copies PM ,Gordon Brown, Lord Chancellors office, MPs, Committees and all interested in the fraudulent public sector complaint procedures.