Freedom of Information requests

Jim, please see attached email regarding FOI request which has was logged
to FOI 2254.

Kind regards

Deborah

Dear Mr Thomas,

Thank you for the FOI request you made on 28 September 2008, our reference
RFI\2254

I must apologise for the extremely long delay in responding to you. This
has resulted from human error, which was exacerbated by technical faults
with our FOI System.

You have requested the following information:

Since the inception of the Freedom of Information Act to date 1)how many
requests for information under the act has the council received? 2)how
many have times has the council failed to respond within the statutory 20
day period? Yours faithfully, T Thomas

I can confiirm that, to date, a total of 1,421 requests have been logged.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to say how many responses were issued
outside the statutory 20 day period, as the system does not capture this
information. The documents issued in response to FOI requests are stored
on the system but these would have to be looked at individually to
determine response times. This would entail many hours of work and the
cost of compliance would, therefore exceed the £450 limit, as referred to
in section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

However, I can confirm that a request will shortly be made to develop the
system, to include the facility to capture the date responses are issued
and provide information such as response times.

I trust this information is helpful but please contact me directly, should
you require any further assistance.

If you wish to complain about any other issue regarding the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 please see the attached handout *Request for
Information Complaints Procedures*.

For further information on the Freedom of Information 2000, the exemptions
and how requests are dealt with at Medway Council you can log onto the
website at www.medway.gov.uk/freedomofinformation.

Yours sincerely

James M Read

Chief Executive's Complaints Officer

Telephone 01634 332456

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Request for Information Complaints Procedures

Our aim is to ensure:

o You have received all the information you have requested unless
exemptions have been applied.

o We have explained fully why we have withheld information from you and
what exemptions we have applied to the information we have withheld.

o We have completed your request for information within 20 working days
from receipt of your request.

o We have responded to your request in the form you have requested.

o We have kept you informed at all times if the 20 working day deadline
could not be met.

If you are not happy that we have met any of the aims as set out above or
you are not satisfied with the information we have provided you can make a
complaint.

Making a complaint.

If you have requested information in writing you are entitled to complain
about the information you have received. An example of this would be:

o If you feel you have not received all the information we hold;
o if we have applied exemptions you feel are inappropriate;
o if we are not releasing documents held on our publication scheme;
o or if the information is not in the format in which you have
requested.

If you have received any correspondence from us that has a reference
number on it please quote the reference number you have been given. This
will ensure that we can connect your complaint with the original request
you logged.

The request for information complaints procedures have 2 stages.

Stage 1 complaint:

Your complaint should be made in writing as it may form part of an
investigation undertaken by an independent authority called the
Information Commissioner.

Please write to:

Deborah Upton

Assistant Director (Legal Services)

Gun Wharf

Dock Road

Chatham

Kent, ME4 4TR

You can also complain by email ([1][email address]) or
[2]online using the complaints form at [3]www.medway.gov.uk/complaints

You should quote your reference number if you have one, and explain
exactly why you are complaining about the information you have received.
Include in the letter how you would like to receive the result of the
complaint.

If you cannot make a complaint in writing you can get someone to write a
letter on your behalf or you can ask the Citizens Advice Bureau to write a
letter for you.

Where appropriate you will receive written acknowledgement of your
complaint within three working days from when we receive it and a full
response within ten working days. If your complaint cannot be resolved by
then you should receive a letter explaining why and giving you a new
deadline.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the complaint you can escalate
it to a Stage 2 complaint.

Stage 2 complaint:

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the stage 1 complaint you can take
the matter further and complain to the Information Commissioner.

The Information Commissioner is the independent supervisory authority who
enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and reports directly to UK Parliament.

To make a complaint to the Information Commissioner please write to:

FOI Compliance Team (complaints)
Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

You will need to make clear in your correspondence that you requested
information from Medway Council, what information you have requested and
why you are not happy with the information that has or has not been
provided. You should also inform the FOI Compliance Team that you have
followed the council*s complaints procedures and that you are unhappy with
the result of that complaint.

The Information Commissioner will initiate an investigation to discover
the facts and make an informed decision to whether the complaint will be
upheld or should be withdrawn.

The Information Commissioners website address is:
[4]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. https://www.medway.gov.uk/forms/servefor...
3. http://www.medway.gov.uk/complaints
4. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/