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Requesting Information from the IRS under the Freedom of
Information Act
The
Independent Review Service routinely publishes much of the information it holds
under its Publication
Scheme. However, from 1 January 2005 the Act allows anyone to
request any recorded information held by the Independent Review Service. This
guide explains how you can request information under the Act and how your
request will be handled.
Who can request information?
From 1 January 2005 anyone can
request information under the Act, regardless of age, nationality, or location.
The term 'anyone' should be taken to include individuals and
companies.
What information can be requested?
You can request any recorded information held by the
Independent Review Service. However, there are a number of exemptions, which
may be applied in order to protect information properly kept confidential.
To check whether the information you require has been published
please see our Publication Scheme page on our website. Please click
here to view
our Publication Scheme
.
How do I make a request?
The Act requires that your request
should:
- Be made in writing
(this includes e-mails and faxes)
- State your name and an
address for correspondence (can be postal or e-mail)
- State clearly what
information is required.
If possible please
provide a contact phone number in case we need to contact you quickly with
regards to your request for information. You also need to tell us in which
format you wish to receive your information.
Please direct your requests
to the Manager's Aide:
Postal Address:
The Manager's
Aide
4th Floor
Centre City Podium
5 Hill Street
Birmingham. B5
4UB
Telephone: 0121 606 2128
Fax Number: 0121 606 2180
E-mail: msh@irs-review.org.uk
If you need help in making
your written request, for example, help to state clearly what information you
want, please direct your request for help to the Manager's Aide, who may be
contacted as above.
What happens if my request is unclear?
If it is not clear what information you require we will
contact you to try to clarify what information you want.
What does it cost?
Regulations allow us to charge a
fee for providing information. Our expectation is that most of the requests
will be handled without any charge. However, if the cost is more than
£600, we do not need to comply with the request. We should consider
discussing whether the request could be refined to a more manageable level or
resubmitted in part to bring it below or equal to £600.
The cost is
calculated using the time taken to find, sort, edit or draft material
(calculated at £25 per hour). It does not cover the time to consider
whether an exemption applies.
If the cost is less than
£600 we will not charge a fee. We may, however, charge the full cost of
providing the information you requested in the format you prefer including for
example photocopying, printing and postage.
We will inform you if we
intend to charge for your request for information. If you do not pay within 3
months we are not required to provide the information requested.
What
happens once I have made my request?
The Independent Review Service will tell you whether we hold the
information you have requested and, if so, we will supply you with the
information, unless we decide that an exemption applies.
If we decide
that the information you want is exempt information, we will explain why.
We will respond to requests for information as soon as possible, and
usually not later than 20 working days after receiving your request.
(If a fee is required, or if we need more information in order to
handle your request, the 20 working days will not start to run until that fee
or that information has been received.)
In certain cases, where we
need to consider if an exemption applies, we may require more than 20 working
days. If this is the case, we will give you an estimate of how long our
response will take.
In what format will information be supplied?
You can ask for information in any format. For example,
you can request information in permanent or summary form, or you can request
information in various formats: Braille, audio tapes, large type or translated
into different languages, or you can ask to inspect records. In deciding what
format to use we will consider what is reasonably practicable, and we may take
account of the cost of supplying the information in particular
formats.
Can I ask for a review of a decision to refuse to provide
information?
If you are unhappy
with the decision we have made in response to your request, you may ask us for
an internal review.
Requests for a review should be made in writing and sent
to the Manager's Aide:
Postal Address:
The Manager's Aide
4th
Floor
Centre City Podium
5 Hill Street
Birmingham. B5 4UB
Fax Number: 0121 606
2180
E-mail:
msh@irs-review.org.uk
We aim to respond to requests
for a review within 20 working days.
If following our review
decision you are still unhappy, you may request a further review with the
Information Commissioner, whose contact details are as follows:
Postal Address:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Fax Number:
01625 524 510
E-mail:
mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk
Website:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
What will we do if we
do not hold the information you have requested?
If we do not hold the information you have requested we
will inform you of this. If we are aware that another public body holds the
information you have requested we may refer your request to them. If you do not
wish your request to be passed to a third party please tell us this when you
first make a request for information.
Further information
Further information about the
rights and duties conferred by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 can be
obtained at: www.foi.gov.uk and
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
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