Facilities Management Office
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Tel: 0131-348-5100
Fax: 0131-348-6100
(RNID Typetalk calls welcome)
Textphone: 0131 348 3415
[email protected]
FOI Request no:2010 - 017136
10 December 2012
Dear
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON THE BARRIER ENTRY SYSTEM TO
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
I refer to your request for information relating to the barrier entry system at the
Scottish Parliament, associated costs for repair and details of vehicle damage
which we received on 23 August 2012. Your request has been handled in
accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
The barrier entry system to the car park at the Scottish Parliament was
installed in 2008. Our records for breakdowns of the system go as far back as
February 2010. Since 2010 there have been 49 faults associated with the
failure of the barriers and these range from electrical and mechanical faults to
issues with the intercom unit, card reader problems, water ingress and vehicle
impact. Water ingress issues were treated as a latent defect and were
rectified by the contractor at no cost to the Parliament. During 2011 the
availability of the barrier system was 94%. So far this year the availability of
the system is 92%.
In an effort to improve the performance of the system a new maintenance
contractor was appointed in October this year following early termination of
contract with the previous provider.
Our financial records indicate that we have spent £11,004 on reactive repairs
since installation in 2008 (excluding repairs for costs which were subsequently
settled by a contractor for damages caused by them).
There have been 5 reported incidents where a failure of the barrier system
resulted in damage to a vehicle. In total £7,088 has been paid in
compensation since 2008.
The information you requested was exempt information under Section 27 of
the Act and could not be disclosed as we intended to publish within 12 weeks
once the SPCB was notified on the change in contract provider. For your
ease of reference I enclose below the relevant extract of the notice we issued
to all building users, including the media tower, on 5 October 2012.
Building Users’ Notice:
Vehicle Entry System
Regular users of the car park may wish to be aware of forthcoming work to
improve the operation and reliability of the vehicle entry system. This follows
on from unplanned downtime in recent months which has resulted in only 92%
availability of the system during the current year.
Facilities Management are working to improve this performance level in a
number of ways, including the appointment of a new maintenance contractor
following our early termination of contract with the current provider.
Over the October recess there will be some planned downtime of the vehicle
entry system which will allow the new maintenance contractor to carry out a
full inspection.
In keeping with our FOI procedures, this information may also be posted on
the Parliament's disclosure log (usually within 24 hours). For further details
on the Parliament's Disclosure Log and the information released under FOI,
visit:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/FOI/
The supply of information under FOI does not constitute permission for its use
in a way that would infringe copyright. Where relevant, you should obtain
permission from the copyright holder before any such use.
We would welcome feedback or comment on how we handled your request.
Please feel free to contact the FOI Specialist at the Scottish Parliament,
Edinburgh, EH99 1SP or by e-mail at [email protected]
Please find below Annex A, which explains how we handle FOI requests and
reviews.
Yours sincerely
Shirley McMillan
Head of Building Management
Annex A
REQUESTS MADE UNDER
THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002
How we handle FOI requests
Information on how we handle FOI requests is available on the Parliament’s
website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/foi/Makingrequest.htm
Alternatively, please contact the Parliament’s Public Information Service to
request a copy.
Review
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with your request
for information, you can ask us to review our decision and actions. You must
do this in writing (or other permanent form) within 40 working days of the date
of this letter, stating the reasons for your dissatisfaction, and we will respond
within 20 working days of receipt. A request for a review should be made to
the FOI Specialist:
Post:
FOI Specialist
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Telephone:
Textphone:
Fax:
E-mail:
0131 348 6913
(RNID Typetalk calls welcome)
0131 348 3415
0131 348 5378
[email protected]
Application to the Scottish Information Commissioner
If, on the outcome of any review, you are still dissatisfied, or if we are unable
to resolve any other complaint, then you can contact the Scottish Information
Commissioner:
Post:
The Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone:
Fax:
Website:
E-mail:
01334 464610
01334 464611
www.itspublicknowledge.info
[email protected]
A decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner may be appealed, on a
point of law, to the Court of Session.
Copyright in relation to information provided
The supply of information under FOI does not constitute permission for its use
in a way that would infringe copyright. Where relevant, you should obtain
permission from the copyright holder before any such use.
Feedback or comment
We would welcome feedback or comment on how we handled your request.
Please contact the FOI Specialist.
Complaints
If you are dissatisfied with the way in which we dealt with your enquiry, then
you may wish to raise the matter with the FOI Specialist.
How to contact us
Post:
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Telephone: 0131 348 5000
0800 092 7500 (Public Enquiries)
0131 348 5395 (Ghàidhlig)
Textphone users can contact us on 0800 092 7100
We also welcome calls using the RNID Typetalk service.
Fax:
E-mail:
0131 348 5601
[email protected]