Number of Freedom of Information Requests answered on the last day or breached FOIs
Dear Health and Social Care Information Centre,
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I wish to make the following enquiry of the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Please tell me:
a) How many Freedom of Information Requests (FOIs) the HSCIC has responded to since 1st January 2014.
b) Of these requests, how many were responded to on the final day of the statutory 20 working day time limit for FOI responses.
c) Of FOI requests responded to on the final day, how many stated that the 'HSCIC does not hold this information' or were a refusal/exemption under the FOI Act.
d) How many FOIs you have answered late since 1st January 2014, in other words in breach of the statutory 20 working day time limit for these requests.
Please could you respond to my request within 20 working days of receipt.
Many thanks for your assistance.
Yours faithfully,
Dr W Hides
Ref: NIC-274361-V8S3Y
Dear W Hides,
I am writing to acknowledge that your request for information was received
by The Health and Social Care Information Centre on (05/06/2014) and is
currently being considered.
If The HSCIC is able to provide you with the information you have
requested, then under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act you are
entitled to receive it promptly and in any event no later than the 20th
working day following the date of receipt. However, we may need to contact
you to clarify your request, if this is required we aim to do this
promptly but no later than 7 days after receiving your initial request for
information.
May I take this opportunity to explain the FOI Act in more detail. The Act
provides a 'General right of access to information held by public
authorities. However, it also defines a number of exemptions which may
prevent the release of some or all of the information you have requested.
Therefore, the HSCIC will assess your information request in light of any
relevant exemptions.
If exemptions do apply, then the HSCIC may decide not to release all, or
part, of the information you have requested. I shall inform you if this is
the case, and advise you of your rights of appeal.
If the information you request contains reference to a third party then
they may be consulted prior to a decision being taken as to whether to
release the information to you.
The response to your request will be sent to you by email, however if you
require your response in any other format, please contact me to discuss a
suitable format.
The HSCIC will not normally charge a fee to provide you with the
information you have requested, unless the cost of dealing with your
request is more than £450 as outlined in Section 12 of the FOI Act and
Section 3 of the The FOI and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees)
Regulations 2004. If it appears likely that your request will cost more,
then the HSCIC is able to refuse to supply the information. As per our
obligations under Section 16 of the FOI Act, every effort will be made to
provide you with details of how you may be able to reframe your request in
order for us to complete the required work within the (£450 / 18 person
hours) cost limit.
If you have any queries or should you wish to make a compliant about the
manner in which your request is being processed then please do not
hesitate to contact me at the above address in the first instance. Any
complaints will be investigated in accordance with the HSCIC complaints
procedure.
Further information about your rights under the Freedom of Information
Act, is available from the Information Commissioner's Office, Wilmslow,
Cheshire and on the HSCIC's website.
Kind Regards,
Contact Centre Team
Health and Social Care Information Centre
Vantage House
40 Aire Street
Leeds
LS1 4HT
0845 300 6016
Email: [1][HSCIC request email]
[2]http://www.hscic.gov.uk
Ref: NIC-274361-V8S3Y
Dear Dr Hides,
Many thanks for your enquiry, please find our full response attached.
Kind Regards,
Contact Centre Team
Health and Social Care Information Centre
1 Trevelyan Square
Boar Lane
Leeds
LS1 6AE
0845 300 6016
Email: [1][HSCIC request email]
[2]http://www.hscic.gov.uk
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