All agencies and organisations covered by Freedom of Information legislation have a responsibility to deal with your request as soon as possible. You will be contacted if any difficulties arise. They must advise you in writing within 21 days that the information is available, or if your request has been deferred or refused. This period may be extended by a further 14 days if special circumstances apply, such as the need to consult with a third party. If you have asked for access to information that is not in written form, such as video tapes, sound recordings or photographs, arrangements will be made for you to hear or view the material.
Charges fall into two categories - application fees and processing fees.
Processing fees Processing fees cover time for locating the information, decision-making, consultation where necessary and any photocopying. However, you are entitled to up to 20 hours of free processing time for request about your personal affairs. There is no upper limit on fees. If the agency fails to advise you of the result of your application within the allowable time period then you can consider your application for access has been refused. If you request is deferred or refused, you must be advised of the reasons.