I am still waiting for a response to a Freedom of Information request I submitted on 1st November. I had an acknowledgement the following day stating:
“Your request is being handled under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 
2000 (FOIA), and you will receive a response by 30th November 2009. Your request has been passed to the appropriate business unit within the MoJ, and they will write to you with their decision by this date.
“The FOIA does provide a number of exemptions. A qualified exemption requires that before relying on it we must consider the public interest test. If the information you have requested is covered by a qualified exemption(s) under the FOIA, the Department is allowed to take longer than 20 working days to respond. This is because in such circumstances we are required to consider the public interest issues when deciding whether or not to disclose the information requested.
“If more time is needed to consider the public interest issues under a qualified exemption(s), we will write to you and inform you of the revised date you can expect to receive a response to your request.”
I am afraid I cannot reveal the nature of my enquiry as it involves a very prominent, but tragic figure, who I want to write about for a book and whose controversial life was intertwined with many influential people. I accept that the Ministry of Justice might need more time, but I haven’t been given a revised date or updated about my request in any way.
I didn’t hear anything by 30th November, and when I chased this up at the beginning of the month, I was told: “We are still currently dealing with your request and aim to get a reply to you very soon.”
I’ve heard nothing since, and an email I sent to the case worker on Monday asking for an update has been ignored. I’ve just sent another email, but I suspect everyone is having Christmas parties now, or unable to travel to work because of the weather.
I doubt there is much I can do between now and the New Year. What have your experiences been when making a FoI request? What would you advise me to do? Is this kind of delay normal?
Cherry Pie, I would have liked to have told what the reason is for the delay. I don’t mind waiting longer, as long as I know I am not forgotten.
Maalie, thank you for your message, and I will keep you informed. I hope you are well and not stranded in your Cumbrian home.
Mrs H, don’t worry, I won’t let them forget. It’s too important for that. Complicated, yes, and I am really looking forward to the response.
We have found that most requests take a considerable time to come back, just don’t give up as I am sure some people do.
Bon courage with your quest Ellee, I hope you get a response soon.
Snowing up here in Cumbria today, the first the north west has had!
Sometimes they do take time to come back. They are probably not sure if they can release some of the information and are checking this out.