Dear Mr Hunt

GF9595 Internal Review of FOI Request regarding CIPFA Revenue Collection Statistics

Thank you for your email dated 10/08/2010 requesting an internal review of the Council's response to the above request.

On 08/06/2010 you submitted a FOI request for a copy of the Revenue Collection Statistics questionnaire for Council Tax and NNDR. On 08/07/2010 a response was sent to you saying that the information had been collated for you with an offer for you to visit the Council offices and inspect the information free of charge. Also included within the response was information concerning charges that would cover disbursement costs incurred which would come into force if you wished to have a printed copy of the information.

On 27/07/2010 you responded by saying that it would be sufficient to provide electronic copies of the documents. The Council responded on 03/08/2010 saying that this would not be possible due to the size of the documents and also the need to redact some personally identifiable information. The Council asked you to advise regarding which of the options made available to you that you wished to pursue. You responded on 04/08/2010 saying that you failed to see why there was a problem providing you with electronic copies. The Council responded again on 06/08/2010 repeating the offers previously made. You therefore requested an internal review on 10/08/2010.

You say that we have failed to provide the information you requested. This is incorrect. We have offered you three options - one of which is free of charge. The other two options have included the recovery of disbursement costs (eg photocopying and postage) which we are allowed to invoke under the FOIA. Regarding your later request that these be made available to you via electronic means, we do acknowledge your wish and we also agree that the FOIA makes provision for you to submit such a request. However, the Act states that a public authority is not compelled to comply with the requested format if it is not considered reasonably practicable. We have already advised you why this is not the case, and we are entitled therefore to communicate the information in a means which we consider reasonable in the circumstances. Sending you the information by email would result in attachments larger than the Council permits its officers. The FOIA is about access to recorded information. You have not been denied this access, but rather we have advised you in this instance of the access routes to obtain this information - one of which, I repeat, is free of charge and still open to you. I am also aware you have already visited our offices to inspect other information that you have requested.

This concludes the results of the internal review that you requested. If you are unhappy with this response then you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner's Office - Wales, Cambrian Buildings, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff, CF10 5FL.

Yours sincerely

David J Smith

Corporate Information & Complaints Manager

www.conwy.gov.uk/information