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Marie Griffiths 
Request-30207-
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[email address] 
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Dear Ms Griffiths 
 
SFO Reference 2010-26 
 
Thank you for your request made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 
2000, received on 5 March 2010. 
 
General Right of Access to Information 
 
Section 1 of the FOIA states: 
 
‘(1) 
Any person making a request for information to a public authority is 
entitled— 
(a) 
to be informed in writing by the public authority whether it holds 
information of the description specified in the request, and 
(b) 
if that is the case, to have that information communicated to him.’ 
 
Your request was as follows: 
 
1. 
How many requests do you get under the DPA each year? 
 
2005 – 1 
 
2006 – 0 
 
2007 – 2 
 
2008 – 1 
 
2009 – 3 
 
2. 
How do you verify the authenticity of DPA requests? 
 
A variety of methods are used, including: 
o  Requesting copy of passport photo page 
o  Requesting copy of recent utilities bill 
o  Confirmation that the same email address has been used 
throughout a process, e.g. an individual requesting disclosure of 
documents relating to them following a recruitment campaign. 
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3. 
Do you conduct regular DPA audits / have an auditing policy? 
The SFO has not been independently audited for DPA purposes since 
1998. 
 
4. 
Do you maintain data on errors in information covered by the 
DPA? 
The SFO has no record of any erroneous data.  Our policy states that 
data ‘must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date’. 
 
If you are unsatisfied with the decision made in relation to your request, you 
may ask for an internal review.  The SFO’s procedure for dealing with a 
complaint about an FOIA request is to carry out an internal review of the original 
decision and this is carried out by someone other than the original decision 
maker who was not involved with the original decision. 
 
Please let me know if you would like an internal review within two calendar 
months of receipt of this letter. 
 
If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review you have the right 
to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  The 
Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 
 
Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire 
SK9 5AF 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
Tracy Gildersleeves 
 
Tracy Gildersleeves 
Freedom of Information Officer 
 

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