Cornwall: Westminster Government Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) decline to release information. Appeal to Independent Information Commissioner launched!

News from Kernow Matters To Us:

As will be widely known, 2016 saw the end of the Westminster Government's return of a rather paltry £150,000 a year of our tax money to support the continued growth and development of the Cornish language. 

This occurred despite the Government's signing of the language charter in 2002 and formal recognition of the Cornish people in 2014. 

Accordingly, a Freedom of Information request was lodged with the relevant Westminster Department seeking background material to cast light on this spiteful decision.

That Department has now refused both the initial request and a review request made on behalf of our organisation.

Citing the rarely used Section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act, used mainly to close down requests which might affect national security, these refusals have further confirmed suspicions many in Cornwall have about Westminster and the six MPs in Cornwall.

Accordingly, the matter has now been referred to the Independent Information Commissioner (IIC) for a further review pending an appeal.

'Kernow Matters To Us' is determined to bring this whole tawdry affair to full democratic accountability.

The now acknowledged letter sent to the IIC is below:

Cornwall

Independent Information Commissioner

31 December, 2016

Dear Sirs & Mesdames

I refer to the attached exchange of emails between myself and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Early in 2016, the Cornish people, a group now recognised as a National Minority under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities since 2014 were informed that the Westminster Government would no longer be making a financial grant towards the Cornish language. Cornish is officially recognised as a minority language by the UK government under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, a status it has held since 2002.

This caused enormous concerns in Cornwall and beyond and we were informed by our unitary authority, Cornwall Council, that the central government had reneged on its promises and commitments.

The annual grant itself was small, some £150,000 a year, although the efficiency of administration of this sum was very positively remarked on by a Government Minister.

The Devolved Governments in Wales and Scotland invest far greater sums into their indigenous languages and are far more open in the administration of that funding.

In Cornwall, we do not enjoy the benefits of a powerful Devolved Government and continue to be directly ruled from Westminster.

On behalf of many and in full openness with the local mainstream and social media, on 28 October 2016, I wrote to the Department requesting:

“Please provide me with all and any documents relating to this decision including, among others, the brief for ministerial decision, any explanatory notes, any impact assessment, other documents which set out the rationale and projected consequences of the decision, as well as any internal, cross-governmental and external correspondence (including e-mails) including any written notes, emails, or records of meetings involving the following MPs: James Wharton MP, Sheryll Murray MP, Steve Double MP, Scott Mann MP, Sarah Newton MP, Derek Thomas MP and George Eustice MP and any other Minister, MP or Civil Servant.”

On 23rd November, 2016, I received an email from the DCLG informing that they had applied Section 36 (2)(b)(i) and (ii) of the FoI Act to my request and that they would not supply the information I had requested.

I and many, many others were astounded at this response. We are talking a small sum of money here and this is hardly a matter of national security. In Scotland or Wales, there would not be such obfuscation. Indeed, this application has confirmed deeply held suspicions held by many of intolerance towards the Cornish by the Westminster government.

Further, an address was included in DCLG's response which was not my own and of which I am not familiar.

On 23rd November, 2016, I again emailed the DCLG requesting a review of this decision in the following terms:

“I do not accept the reasoning behind this response and I find the reply only adds to the general attitude widely held in Cornwall that your government has been deceptive in the extreme. 
We are not talking about a matter concerning national security here.

I am further baffled as to why you have addressed your response to me at an address to which I have no connection, notably 3 Trevelyan Road, Illogan, Redruth, Cornwall TR15 3UG.

My address is at the base of my email to you dated 28 October, 2016.”

On 22nd December, I received a further response indicating that the Section 36 decision would stand.

I now communicate with yourselves wishing to take this matter further. As many say 'What has the Government got to hide?'

As before, there is immense interest over this issue and clarity over language issues exists in Scotland and Wales but not, it seems, in Westminster.

Thank you for your kind attentions.

Yours faithfully