Request ID: FOI-2581-2122 Date published: 02 March 2022
You asked
- Copies of any reports/ briefing papers compiled by, or for, TfL and its contractors since 2019 which mentions the estimated cost of cancelling the Silvertown Tunnel.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2581-2122
Thank you for your request received on 10 February 2022 asking for copies of any reports/briefing papers which mention the estimated cost of cancelling the Silvertown Tunnel.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy.
Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described.
We have estimated that it would cost over £450 to provide a response to your current request. This is because it is estimated that it would take in excess of 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested.
This information is not held centrally and we would have to go to several teams in order to identify, locate, and retrieve every report/briefing document created that made reference to the Silvertown Tunnel. We would then have to review them to determine if it mentioned the cost of cancelling the Silvertown Tunnel. As you’ve requested this information for a three year period this is likely to be an extremely time consuming task.
The cost of the Silvertown Tunnel was recently addressed in a Mayor’s Question and the response is available on the GLA’s website:
https://www.london.gov.uk/questions/2021/4807
Please note that the ongoing costs of the scheme are subject to further negotiation with suppliers and their disclosure would be likely to prejudice our commercial position. Relevant contract values and expenditure will be published and reported at the appropriate time in line with our transparency commitments.
To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. If you want to refine your request or make a Freedom of Information Act request in future, please bear in mind that the Freedom of Information Act allows you to request recorded information held by us. You may also wish to contact our Press Office directly with your queries: https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/contact-the-press-office.
Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, we do not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request.
Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request.
In the meantime, if you have any queries or would like to discuss your request, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
