Impact of Covid-19 on FOI responsiveness E&W
Dear Sir/Madam,
1. For the period 16th March – 17th July 2020 (i.e., when ICO had indicated a sympathetic approach to delay), provide precise data if available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%, for these questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 20 working days of receipt by your organisation?
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 20 working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
(c) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 21 and 60 working days of receipt by your organisation?
(d) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 21 and 60 working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
2. For the period 18th July – 8th October 2020 (i.e., during the ‘preparing for recovery’ phase), provide precise data if available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%, for these questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 20 working days of receipt by your organisation?
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 20 working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
(c) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 21 and 60 working days of receipt by your organisation?
(d) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 21 and 60 working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
3. During the period 1st March to 30th October 2020, provide precise data if available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%, for these questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued more than 60 working days after receipt of the request?
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued more than 60 working days after receipt of a request for an internal review?
4. When FOI request or review responses were issued more than 21 working days after receipt during the period 1st March and 30th October 2020, what were the main reasons for the delay? e.g., closure of premises due to Covid-19, reallocation of resources due to Covid-19, staff shortages due to Covid-19, absence of key staff due to Covid-19, limited access to necessary systems due to Covid-19, other issue related/unrelated to Covid19.
5. In relation to the FOI requests received by your organisation between 1st March and 30th October 2020, what proportion related directly to Covid-19, your organisation's Covid-19 response or impact of the pandemic on your organisation? (Provide precise data if available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%)
6. On 17th July 2020 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) launched a self-assessment Freedom of Information toolkit (FOI self-assessment toolkit | ICO) to help public authorities respond to FOI requests as they prepared to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Does, or has your organisation ever, use/d the toolkit? If so, please explain whether it has it had any positive outcomes.
- If your organisation has not/does not make use of the toolkit, please explain why not.
7. In response to Covid19, has the volume of information your organisation publishes:
- not changed
- significantly increased
- significantly decreased
- don’t know
8. Has your organisation taken steps to proactively publish information relating to Covid-19, your organisation's Covid-19 response or the impact of the pandemic on your organisation? If it includes a dedicated webpage, please provide a link to the webpage.
If you wish to contact me for more information before responding, please see my contact details below.
Thank you for your time and effort in responding to these questions.
Yours faithfully,
Karen
Dr Karen Mc Cullagh, Lecturer in Law
UEA Law School, 205 Earlham Hall, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ
Research webpage: https://www.karenmccullagh.co.uk/covid-1...
About me: https://research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/per...
Thank you for contacting the City of Bradford Metropolitan District
Council Corporate Information Governance Team. We confirm that we have
received your correspondence.
If you have submitted a Freedom of Information or Environmental
Information Regulation request – we will respond to your request in
accordance with the appropriate legislation (20 working days).
If we require further information from you before we process your request,
we will contact you directly to ask for this.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018. If you would like further information please click
on the following link: [1]Privacy notice | Bradford Council
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Dear Dr McCullagh
I refer to your request dated 9^th June 2022 under the Freedom of
Information Act asking to supply the following information:
1. For the period 16th March - 17th July 2020 (i.e., when ICO had
indicated a sympathetic approach to delay), provide precise data if
available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate
e.g., 10%, for these questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 20 working days
of receipt by your organisation?
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 20
working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
(c) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 21 and 60
working days of receipt by your organisation?
(d) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 21 and 60
working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
Response – Bradford Council does not hold the information requested for
the above dates. However, the Council can provide information for the
period 1^st April 2020 – 1^st August 2020.
(a) 380
(b) 9
(c) The Council does not hold this information in the format requested
(d) The Council does not hold this information in the format requested
2. For the period 18th July - 8th October 2020 (i.e., during the
preparing for recovery phase), provide precise data if available e.g., 15
out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%, for these
questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 20 working days
of receipt by your organisation?
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 20
working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
(c) how many responses to FOI requests were issued within 21 and 60
working days of receipt by your organisation?
(d) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued within 21 and 60
working days of receipt of the request for an internal review?
Response - Bradford Council does not hold the information requested for
the above dates. However, the Council can provide information for the
period 1^st August 2020 – 31^st October 2020.
(a) 382
(b) 18
(c) Your request for information has been considered by the Council under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the information
requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this response
acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information
Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
(d) Your request for information has been considered by the Council under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the information
requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this response
acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information
Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
3. During the period 1st March to 30th October 2020, provide precise
data if available e.g., 15 out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an
estimate e.g., 10%, for these questions:
(a) how many responses to FOI requests were issued more than 60 working
days after receipt of the request?
Response - Your request for information has been considered by the Council
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the
information requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this
response acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of
Information Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
(b) how many responses to FOI review requests were issued more than 60
working days after receipt of a request for an internal review?
Response - Your request for information has been considered by the Council
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the
information requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this
response acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of
Information Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
4. When FOI request or review responses were issued more than 21
working days after receipt during the period 1st March and 30th October
2020, what were the main reasons for the delay? e.g., closure of premises
due to Covid-19, reallocation of resources due to Covid-19, staff
shortages due to Covid-19, absence of key staff due to Covid-19, limited
access to necessary systems due to Covid-19, other issue related/unrelated
to Covid19.
Response - Your request for information has been considered by the Council
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the
information requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this
response acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of
Information Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
5. In relation to the FOI requests received by your organisation
between 1st March and 30th October 2020, what proportion related directly
to Covid-19, your organisation's Covid-19 response or impact of the
pandemic on your organisation? (Provide precise data if available e.g., 15
out of 30 requests, and if not, provide an estimate e.g., 10%)
Response - Your request for information has been considered by the Council
under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that the
information requested is not held by Bradford Council and therefore, this
response acts as a refusal notice under section 17(1) of the Freedom of
Information Act in accordance with section 1(1)(a) of the Act.
6. On 17th July 2020 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
launched a self-assessment Freedom of Information toolkit (FOI
self-assessment toolkit ICO) to help public authorities respond to FOI
requests as they prepared to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Does, or has your organisation ever, use/d the toolkit? If so, please
explain whether it has it had any positive outcomes.
- If your organisation has not/does not make use of the toolkit, please
explain why not.
Response – No. The Council does not have any plans at this present time
but we do have plans to review this in line with the toolkit.
7. In response to Covid19, has the volume of information your
organisation publishes:
- not changed
- significantly increased
- significantly decreased
- don’t know
Response – Don’t know.
8. Has your organisation taken steps to proactively publish information
relating to Covid-19, your organisation's Covid-19 response or the impact
of the pandemic on your organisation? If it includes a dedicated webpage,
please provide a link to the webpage.
Response - The information requested is exempt from release under section
21 of the Freedom of Information Act as it is reasonably accessible in the
public domain and can be located via the following links. Please note
information changes regularly so the below pages may change in line with
Government guidelines.
[1]Coronavirus (Covid-19): Latest case numbers for Bradford district |
Bradford Council [2]A to Z | Bradford Council
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, if you are not
satisfied with the reply to your request you can ask for a review. A
request for a review must be submitted within 40 working days in writing
to the Corporate Information Governance Team, City of Bradford
Metropolitan District Council, City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1
1HY or by emailing [Bradford City Council request email].
If you are still not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review you
have the right of appeal to the Information Commissioner who can be
contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Tel: 0303 123 1113 URL: www.ico.org.uk.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018. The Council takes its responsibilities under the Act
very seriously.
To find out more on how we handle your information, please click on the
following link: https://www.bradford.gov.uk/privacy-notice
Kind Regards
Amanda Lyth
Senior Information Governance Officer
Finance, IT & Procurement Service
Tel: 01274 434506
City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1HY
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Department of Corporate Resources
Bradford is the world’s first UNESCO City of Film
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2. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/a-to-z?l=c
Dear Amanda,
Thank you for responding to my request for information.
I'm emailing to seek clarification in respect of your responses to Q1 (a) and (b) and Q 2(a), and (b) so that I know how to interpret them.
For example, your answer to Q1 was: (a) how many responses to FOI requests
were issued within 20 working days of receipt by your organisation? 139.
- Was this 380 out of 380received or out of XXX received?
Kind Regards,
Karen
Dr Karen Mc Cullagh
Thank you for contacting the City of Bradford Metropolitan District
Council Corporate Information Governance Team. We confirm that we have
received your correspondence.
If you have submitted a Freedom of Information or Environmental
Information Regulation request – we will respond to your request in
accordance with the appropriate legislation (20 working days).
If we require further information from you before we process your request,
we will contact you directly to ask for this.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018. If you would like further information please click
on the following link: [1]Privacy notice | Bradford Council
THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE – PLEASE DO NOT REPLY
This email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly. If this email has been misdirected, please
notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you
must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the
information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted
immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any
software viruses, any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain
viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should
therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any
documents. Bradford Council will not accept any liability for damage
caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this email. Emails may be subject to recording and / or
monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/privacy-noti...
Dear Dr McCullagh
Thank you for your email below.
The response to Q1 (a) was 380 responses were issued within 20 working days to requests received during the period 1st April 2020 - 1st August 2020.
The response to Q1 (b) was 9 review responses were issued within 20 working days to requests received during the period 1st April 2020 - 1st August 2020.
The response to Q2 (a) was 382 responses were issued within 20 days to requests received during the period 1st August 2020 - 31st October 2020.
The response to Q2 (b) was 18 review responses were issued within 20 working days to requests received during the period 1st August 2020 - 31st October 2020.
The number of requests received for the periods noted above is greater than the number of responses issued within the periods noted above. i.e. we received more than 380 requests for Q1 (a) etc.
I hope this is of assistance.
Kind Regards
Amanda Lyth
Senior Information Governance Officer
Finance, IT & Procurement Service
Tel: 01274 431322
[mobile number]
City Hall, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1HY
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Department of Corporate Resources
Bradford is the world’s first UNESCO City of Film
This email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and should be handled accordingly. If this email has been misdirected, please notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses, any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Bradford Council will not accept any liability for damage caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document supplied with this email. Emails may be subject to recording and / or monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.
Dear Amanda,
Thank you for responding to my request for clarification, and for taking the time to provide the original response.
Yours sincerely,
Karen
Dr Karen Mc Cullagh
Thank you for contacting the City of Bradford Metropolitan District
Council Corporate Information Governance Team. We confirm that we have
received your correspondence.
If you have submitted a Freedom of Information or Environmental
Information Regulation request – we will respond to your request in
accordance with the appropriate legislation (20 working days).
If we require further information from you before we process your request,
we will contact you directly to ask for this.
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council is registered with the
Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under the provisions of the Data
Protection Act 2018. If you would like further information please click
on the following link: [1]Privacy notice | Bradford Council
THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE – PLEASE DO NOT REPLY
This email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly. If this email has been misdirected, please
notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you
must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the
information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted
immediately. Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any
software viruses, any attachments to this email may nevertheless contain
viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should
therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any
documents. Bradford Council will not accept any liability for damage
caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this email. Emails may be subject to recording and / or
monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.bradford.gov.uk/privacy-noti...
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