A Practical Guide to Handling Freedom of Information Requests

Number of Pages: 127

FOI requests submitted to public bodies are rising substantially each year, placing increasing pressure on those responsible for answering them Now that direct action can be taken against public bodies that fail to provide acceptable response times, compliance with the legislation has never been more critical. Ark Group's Practical Guide to Handling Freedom of Information Requests provides comprehensive instructions on your rights and responsibilities in dealing with a variety of FOI requests. It explains current Information Commission (IC) and FOI regulations in context of dealing with FOI requests and provides valuable guidelines on records management and improving media relations. With clear advice, tips and templates, along with easily quotable case law, this report provides real-life examples to simplify the practical application of the law. This report also comes with a complimentary CD ROM including 14 template letters, invaluable when responding to a variety of requests, including: * Acknowledgement of receipt of request for information * Refer applicant to the publication scheme * Information enclosed * Clarification requested * Information not held * Information held by third party, transfer the request * Notification to third party of intention to release information * Fees notice * Subject to a public interest test * Refusal (absolute) * Refusal (subject to PIT) * Vexatious/repeated refusal * Cost exceeds limit refusal * Neither confirm or deny A Practical Guide to Handling Freedom of Information Requests also comes with useful appendices, contacts and resources including: * Public bodies covered by the Freedom of Information Act; * Data sets to be published by public bodies; * Examples of other statutory rights of access; * Examples of public registers; * Training providers and universities; and * An example undertaking by Aberdare Girls School.