The legislation requires us to respond to your request for information as soon as possible after it is received, and not later than 20 working days after the date of receipt. This timescale may have to be extended if the information requested is very extensive and, therefore takes a long time to gather, or if we have to consider if providing it is in the public interest, or if we are waiting for you to pay a fee.

It will help us to process your request more quickly if you can be as specific as possible about what information you require. If necessary, we will contact you to ensure we understand your request clearly and this may add to the time we need to respond. It is also important to tell us whether you want the information sent to you on paper or by email, and whether you have any particular requirements. Information may be available in other formats on request.

We may not hold the information you request and the legislation does not require us to gather information that is not already there. However, it is possible that another public authority may hold the information and we can transfer your request to it. Before doing so, we would contact you to obtain your agreement. It is also possible that we may have had the information at one time but that it has been lawfully destroyed, in which case we will tell you.

If we decide not to disclose some information, we must explain to you why it is being withheld.