Official Information Act 1982, s 15(1A)-(3); Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, s 13(1A)-(4)
Yes. The agency can charge you a reasonable fee for the staff time involved and the cost of photocopying or other materials. It can require you to pay some or all of the fee in advance.
The government has published charging guidelines for central government agencies dealing with Official Information Act requests. Under the guidelines you usually won’t be charged for the first hour of staff time on your request, or for the first 20 pages of photocopying.
The agency can, however, reduce or waive the charge completely if there’s a good reason. According to the charging guidelines, a good reason could include that you can’t afford the charge, or that you want the information for non-commercial purposes and releasing it would lead to better public understanding of the agency’s work.
You can complain to the Ombudsman if you think a charge is unreasonable.
Official Information Act 1982, s 28(1)(b); Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, s 27(1)(b)
Note: Be as specific as possible about the information you want when you ask for it. This will keep to a minimum the staff time involved in processing your request and make it less likely that you’ll be charged.