Freedom of Information request - Viewpoint Survey 2023 - Network Management Control Centre (NMCC)
Request ID: FOI-3343-2324 Date published: 03 January 2024
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
TFL does an annual staff survey called “Viewpoint”.
Please provide all viewpoint results / scores from the year 2023 for all job roles that work in Surface transport’s Network Management Control Centre (NMCC).
I specifically wish to receive a copy of all the free text answers / comments given in the TFL staff viewpoint survey which were provided by staff in TFL’s NMCC in the 2023 TFL viewpoint survey - this should be broken down by job role (for example, NMCC response coordinators, NMCC operations managers, NMCC people managers, NMCC events team, NMCC managers, NMCC partnership advisors) for each free text survey response.
This data exists already and has already been shared with senior managers in NMCC and also TFL directors - so this should be a simple copy and paste exercise to release this data as part of the FOI and easily within scope /cost of this request - I am aware that individual identifying data identifiers such as names and addresses will be removed / redacted.
Please repeat the same task for the free text fields on the viewpoint surveys in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
We answered
TfL Ref: 3343-2325
Thank you for your emails received by Transport for London (TfL) on 18 December 2023 and on 21 December 2023, following clarification to your request asking for information about Viewpoint staff surveys.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked for:
all Viewpoint results / scores from the year 2023 for all job roles that work in Surface transport’s Network Management Control Centre (NMCC).
I specifically wish to receive a copy of all the free text answers / comments given in the TFL staff Viewpoint survey which were provided by staff in TFL’s NMCC in the 2023 TFL Viewpoint survey - this should be broken down by job role (for example, NMCC response coordinators, NMCC operations managers, NMCC people managers, NMCC events team, NMCC managers, NMCC partnership advisors) for each free text survey response.
This data exists already and has already been shared with senior managers in NMCC and also, TFL directors - so this should be a simple copy and paste exercise to release this data as part of the FOI and easily within scope /cost of this request - I am aware that individual identifying data identifiers such as names and addresses will be removed / redacted.
Please repeat the same task for the free text fields on the viewpoint surveys in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
In respect of previous (and the current) years, please provide the free text field responses to the TFL Viewpoint staff survey - these are the responses typed in by staff who responded to the Viewpoint survey and who work in the TFL surface transport Network Management Control centre (NMCC) - the survey gives a field for staff to provide any open replies within to questions within the survey. I would like to see these comments - and the free text field responses to the surveys broken down by each role within the control centre, as originally explained in my FOI request.
The data already exists in this format - and has been distributed to senior management and directorship already - it will not take much effort to find this as it already exists in this format. The information is not commercially sensitive - nor is it personally identifiable data, so will be easy to provide.
I wish for these comments to be released under my original FOI Request.
We can advise that the requested information is exempt from disclosure under section 14 of the Freedom of Information Act. Section 14 can apply where a request, or its impact on a public authority, cannot be justified. The following guidance from the Information Commissioner on its use provides more detail:
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guidance-index/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/dealing-with-vexatious-requests-section-14/ The information you have requested are made up of hundreds of individual comments, some of which are very lengthy, filling numerous pages of material. In order to release this information, we would need to review it line by line and consider, in detail, the potential application of one or more exemptions. By their very nature, these submissions can be personal, biographical and descriptive of events submitted in a format in which employees have no expectation that their personal views will be disclosed to the wider public, particularly with a risk of being identified even where that identification may be misguided. This process of reviewing is not necessarily a simple task and would require collaboration among different colleagues to complete (for example, those with FOI expertise and those with more knowledge of the teams in question and subject matters raised). As you can see above, the guidance from the ICO on the use of the exemption includes the following advice:
“You should consider using it if, after taking account of all the circumstances, you believe the request is disproportionate or unjustified.”.
“The ICO recognises that dealing with unreasonable requests can strain resources and get in the way of delivering mainstream services or answering legitimate requests”.
And;
“The key test is to determine whether the request is likely to cause a disproportionate or unjustified level of disruption, irritation or distress. A useful starting point is to assess the value or purpose of the request before you look at the impact handling the request would have on you”.
We consider that the amount of resource that would be required to fully and appropriately review this material would represent a disproportionate effort, requiring the re-allocation of already limited resources and placing an unacceptable burden on a small number of personnel. Further, whilst we appreciate your personal interest in the subject matter, we do not see any particular wider public interest that would justify the allocation of the necessary resource. We therefore believe that it is reasonable for section 14(1) to apply to your request to be refused on that basis.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
Jasmine Howard FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
