Freedom of Information

What is the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act?

The FOI Act provides you with access to information that we hold. It does this in two ways:

  • We are obliged to publish certain information about our activities in our publication scheme
  • You are entitled to ask us for all the information we have on any subject you choose
  • You can find more information about this on the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website here

 

How do I access information?

As an open and transparent organisation, we are committed to routinely publishing as much information as possible. Please review our publication scheme to see if the information you want has already been published.

If the information you want is not available in our publishing scheme simply complete the online data request form below or send a request in writing or contact us using the contact details outlined on the Data Requests & Your Privacy page:

 

What can I ask for?

You can ask for any information at all. However, this does not mean we are always obliged to provide it. In some cases there may be good reasons for us not to make information public, for example, if disclosure would be likely to prejudice a criminal investigation or prejudice someone’s commercial interests.

There is also an exemption for personal data if releasing it would be contrary to the Data Protection Act. 

We can refuse an entire request where:

  • It would cost us too much or take too much staff time to deal with
  • The request is vexatious
  • The request repeats a previous request from the same person

We will always consider the public interest arguments before deciding whether to disclose or not, and if we decide not to provide you with the information we must tell you why. Unless there is a good reason that we cannot disclose, we must provide the information within one month.

 

How long will it take?

By law we have to deal with requests within 20 working days unless an exemption applies.