Staff Secondments

Request

Please could you provide the following information:

• The number of inward secondments that have worked in your department during the period from 05/07/2024 to the present.
• For each of these secondments during this period, please provide:
  • The organisation the individual was seconded from
  • The date they commenced their secondment
  • The date they concluded/will conclude their secondment
  • Whether your department paid the secondee/reimbursed their organisation.
  • A brief summary of the remit of the secondee.

Outcome

Some information provided.

Response

1. The number of inward secondments that have worked in your department during the period from 05/07/2024 to the present.

There are 2 staff on inward secondments who have worked at The National Archives during the period from 05/07/2024 to the present.

For each of these secondments during this period, please provide:

2. The organisation the individual was seconded from

One was seconded from another UK government department and the other from the government of a devolved administration.

The specific organisations cannot be named as it would lead to the individuals being identified. This information is therefore exempt under section 40(2).

3. The date they commenced their secondment

a) 10 March 2022
b) 10 February 2025

4. The date they concluded/will conclude their secondment

a) 31 March 2026
b) 10 November 2025

5. Whether your department paid the secondee/reimbursed their organisation.

a) The National Archives has reimbursed their organisation.
b) The National Archives has paid the secondee.

6. A brief summary of the remit of the secondee.

This information has been withheld under section 40(2) of the FOI Act, as it constitutes personal data which, if disclosed, would enable the identification of individuals.

The disclosure of information that, on its own might not lead to the identification of the individual to whom it relates, may do so if pieced together with other information already publicly available. This principle is sometimes referred to as ‘the mosaic effect’. In this instance, with the prevalence of social media platforms (particularly professional work-related platforms such as LinkedIn), we have determined that the disclosure of some of the requested information would contravene data protection law due to the mosaic effect.

Annexe

Exemptions applied

Section 40(2): Personal Information where the applicant is not the data subject

Section 40 exempts personal information about a ‘third party’ (someone other than the requester), if revealing it would breach the terms of Data Protection Legislation. Data Protection Legislation prevents personal information from release if it would be unfair or at odds with the reason why it was collected, or where the subject had officially served notice that releasing it would cause them damage or distress. Personal information must be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner as set out by Art. 5 of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Further guidance on the application of this exemption can be found here.