17.06.16
Only two government departments responded to FOIs on time in last quarter
All but two government departments experienced delays in responding to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests in January to March 2016, according to new analysis by the Institute for Government (IfG).
The IfG found that only the Department of Health and the DCLG responded to all FoI requests within 20 working days.
Four departments – HM Revenue and Customs, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Scotland Office – failed to meet the standard of responding to 85% of requests on time.
The Ministry of Justice was placed under monitoring last year for its failure to respond to requests, but has now significantly increased the amount it responds to from 65% to 84.6%.
The Cabinet Office was the department that most frequently fully withheld information in response to requests, followed by HMRC, the Ministry of Justice and the Treasury.
The Commission on Freedom of Information recently recommended strengthening the Act to tackle delays beyond 20 days.
(Image c. Clive Gee from PA Images)
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