IntroductionAnyone, anywhere in the world can submit an FOI request
• FOI requests are up 30% year on year*
• They are increasingly being submitted by
businesses and journalists for commercial gain and
to save money on research
• St Albans Council received over 1000 requests
during 2014 (2015 statistics not available yet)**
• Information is often stored in different locations &
formats making it difficult to collate when a
request comes in
• The right to access public authority information via:
• Publication Scheme
• FOI requests
• It only applies to public organisations
• It relates to all ‘Recorded Information’
• It doesn’t cover personal data – this is covered by the Data Protection Act (DPA)
What is the Freedom of Information Act?
Your responsibilities
Simply put:
• Tell them whether you hold the requested information (not applicable to the Scottish FOI Act)
• Provide the information requested within 20 working days
• Publish set information on your website as part of the Publication Scheme
BUT…!
What you DON’T have to do
You don’t have to comply when:
• An exemption applies, i.e. part of government policy or cause harm to a criminal investigation.
• If releasing it contravenes the DPA
• The request is vexatious – designed to disrupt
• A similar request already made
• It would cost too much (£600), or take too much staff time, to process. You can aggregate costs relating to requests made by the same person over a 60 day period
TIP 1: Make sure it meets the
FOI request threshold
Requests should:
• Be in writing – either by letter or email, not made via telephone
• Include the requestors name and contact address
• Specifies the information requested
(i.e. not ‘why don’t the bins get collected on time?’)
• Not be for personal Information – this is covered by the Data Protection Act
TIP 2: Make regularly requested
information available online
• Head regular requests off at the pass by putting the information on your
website e.g. Business rates, IT costs, housing repair contracts etc.
• In 2014 St Albans council discovered that 57%** of FOI requests were from
businesses. Most were in order to gain a commercial advantage
• When you receive these requests, simply refer them to your website
• This saves money & increases that all important transparency
TIP 3: Digitalise your Archives
Digital archives makes searching for information infinitely faster
• Put in place procedures for all paper correspondence to be scanned and filed
• Make a digital Masterfile: All copies should be made from one file – so that
the image remains clear. Copies of copies become degraded over time
• Store images in 2 locations
• Ensure the naming conventions follow your physical archives
• Have a master spreadsheet (meta data), or use a claims management system
TIP 4: Create a correspondence library
• Build document templates for regular letters & emails
• Speeds up correspondence
• Improves consistency of message
• Review templates regularly
• Administration is more efficient as information is easier to find, is more reliable and is secure. Less time and money is spent managing unnecessary information
• The risk of a security/Data Protection Act breach is reduced as appropriate security is applied to information
• Enables you to comply with external requirements faster - not just FOI requests but auditing or even funding requirements
TIP 5: Have strong document
management in place
1: Filtering from the Claims Screen
Filter on any element of your
claims in a couple of clicks.
e.g. Primary Cause
2: With our Report Generator
Quickly build a more detailed
report which can be emailed
directly to relevant
stakeholders
3: Using Heatmaps
Visual representations of claims and
incidents with Google Heatmaps
which can drill down to
street level
Want to know more?
0333 010 7999
3sixtysystems.com
If you’d like to know more about how EvoClaim can help you, get in contact and we’ll be happy to talk you though it.
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Sources • *Information Commissioner’s Office: www.ico.org.uk
• Staffordshire Council http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/
• **St Albans Council www.stalbans.gov.uk/
• Local Government Association www.esd.org.uk
• Government websitewww.gov.uk
• MOJ: Freedom of Information Statistics April to June 2015