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Freedom of Information

Your rights under the Freedom of Information Act

We are committed to openness and transparency in our work and aim to publish as much information as possible about how we work and the decisions we make.

Under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, anyone has the right to ask for information we hold. We must:

tell you if we hold the information you want
give you the information unless there are valid reasons for withholding it.

In some cases we may charge you a fee for supplying the information. Click here for details of charges for dealing with requests for information.

You can find out more about your rights under the FOI Act on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

The OFFA Guide to Information

To see the different types of information we make available and how to obtain them, please refer to our Guide to Information. We publish this guide to meet the FOI Act’s requirement that we must have a “publication scheme”.

There is a lot of information accessible through our website and Guide to Information. However, if you cannot find what you are looking for and want to ask for some information, here is how to do so:

Requesting information

We make a lot of information readily available. Before you request information from us please ensure that you have:

searched our website
checked the OFFA Guide to Information.

If you still cannot find what you are looking for, you can make a request for information by emailing enquiries@offa.org.uk.

Or write to:

FOI Request
OFFA
Northavon House
Coldharbour Lane
BRISTOL
BS16 1QD

Your request should include:

contact details, as we may have to get in touch with you to discuss your request
as much detail as possible about the information or documents you want to access
the type of format in which you would like us to supply the information, for example as hard copy, via email etc.

How we will deal with your request for information

Your request will be handled under different regulations depending on the kind of information you are requesting.

Freedom of Information Act – gives you the right to access recorded information held by public sector organisations
Data Protection Act – applies if you ask for information that an organisation holds about you
Environmental Information Regulations – applies if you ask for environmental information.

We aim to reply promptly to your request and are obliged by statute to provide a response within 20 working days. We may not be able to give you some information because it falls within one of the exemptions of the Act. When that happens we will tell you which exemption applies and, in most cases, why the information cannot be released.

In some cases we may need to extend the deadline to consider the public interest. If the time limit is extended, we will notify you of this delay within 20 working days of your initial request and state when we believe we will be able to respond in full.

How to appeal against the way we have handled an FOI request

If you’re unhappy with the way we have dealt with an FOI request, you can ask us to review our decision. Please email enquiries@offa.org.uk or write to:

David Barrett
Assistant Director
OFFA
Northavon House
Coldharbour Lane
BRISTOL
BS16 1QD

We aim to deal with simple complaints within two to three weeks and more complex complaints within six weeks. If you’re still unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to: