28 July 2021
Anthony Jordan
[FYI request #15940 email]
Tēnā koe Anthony
Your Official Information Act request, reference: GOV-012104
Thank you for your request of 1 July 2021 asking for the following information under the Official
Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Specific to the expert advisory group mentioned in a recent request, please provide:
1. Names of Clinicians 2. Practice speciality in Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
3. Length of time in Practice pertaining to Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 4. Origin of Qualifications
We are unable to release personal information on public websites
As per section 15(1)(b) of the Act, ACC has made the decision to provide you with the information
requested in questions 1 and 2 of this request. As part of this response, we are able to provide you with
the terms of reference for the expert advisory panel you refer to (the ACC TBI Advisory group). This will
outline details of members on the panel, and the functions of the group.
However, we do not routinely release personal details on public websites, such as fyi.org.nz.
In this instance, as the response to your request contains information identifying individuals, we are
prepared to send the information directly to your private email address.
Please can you send an em
ail to [email address] confirming your private email address.
Once we receive confirmation of your email address, we will send this part of the response.
ACC takes privacy seriously
The name of an ex-staff member has been withheld from the document to protect their privacy as we
are unable to consult with them about the release of their name. This decision is made under section
9(2)(a) of the Act. ACC has carefully considered whether there are reasons why it is desirable, in the
public interest, to make this information available and is of the view that maintaining personal privacy
outweighs any public interest in making this information available.
Length of time in Practice pertaining to Concussion/Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
ACC does not hold information regarding the length of time the above individuals have specialised in
concussion/mild TBI. As ACC does not hold this information, we are refusing this part of your request
under section 18(g) of the Act.
Origin of qualifications
Information on the qualifications of Doctors of the panel are publicly available to view on the Medical
Council of New Zealand website, found
here. As this information is publicly available, we are refusing
this part of your request under section 18(d) of the Act.
For the panel member who is an ACC Injury Prevention Partner (whose qualifications are not available
on the Medical Council of New Zealand), their qualifications are considered personal information that
we hold in relation to their employment at ACC. Therefore, we are withholding the requested
GOV-012104
information. This decision has been made under section 9(2)(a) of the Act, to protect their privacy. In
doing so, we have considered the public interest in making the information available and determined
that it does not outweigh the need to protect their privacy.
ACC does not hold information on the qualifications of those on the panel who are neither registered
doctors nor ACC employees, so the request for information regarding their qualifications is refused
under section 18(g).
If you have any questions
If you have any questions, you can email me
at [email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Information about how to do this is ava
ilable at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or by phoning 0800
802 602.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Sasha Wood
Manager Official Information Act Services
Government Engagement & Support
Accident Compensation Corporation
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