Department of Health

In respect of Mr Robert Watt, Department of Health Official: (1) The total gross salary paid to him in the period from the date in early January 2021 when he took up his temporary assignment as Secretary General at the Department of Health until, but excluding, the date of his permanent appointment to the post some months later. (2) The total gross salary paid to him from the date of his permanent appointment to the post of Secretary General - Department of Health during 2021 until 31st December 2021. (3) The total gross salary paid to him as Secretary General - Department of Health in the period 1st January 2022 to 31st July 2022 inclusive. This information may be available from several sources within the Department’s control but most certainly in the payroll databases held at the NSSO, in respect of which data the Department of Health is the Data Controller. Therefore, this information should be easily retrievable by the Department - in a matter of minutes I believe. In terms of how the information may be made available to me, I note the options available to the Department as set out in Sections 17 and 18 of the Act. Transcription of the 3 figures will suffice if that is the easiest method for the Department. A new record may be created to hold the data or heavily redacted copy payslips showing cumulative figures and payslip periods would also be sufficient. The other options are also available. I contend that there is no issue of personal privacy involved here as a basis for refusal. The salaries for the post, as amended from time to time, including the newly raised salary introduced in 2021, are all in the public domain. My request involves a minor representation of the data to indicate the cumulative amounts of those salaries paid to Mr Watt for three separate time frames. I have a public interest in this information. I draw attention to the Information Commissioner's Guide Notes (March 2021) and Sections 6.2.13 and 6.2.14. The principles enunciated by the Commissioner should, in my view, apply to this information request; therefore, the information should be disclosed to me. As the Guide Notes say, inter alia, disclosure "would not be a hugely significant invasion of the rights to privacy".