Action taken after IPCC fails to respond to FOI requests.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has taken enforcement action against the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The ICO’s enforcement notice, published today, indicates that 69 freedom of information requests were not resolved within the necessary legal timeframe. The action will help ensure requests for information are resolved within the appropriate timescales in future.
The IPCC has repeatedly failed to respond to requests in line with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The ICO received a number of complaints about freedom of information requests which the IPCC had failed to respond to within the 20 day time limit. In a letter to the ICO, the IPCC confirmed that it was experiencing difficulties in responding to requests for information under FOIA due to an increase in the volume of requests.
The ICO has issued an Enforcement Notice which requires the IPCC to respond to requests which are overdue by 30 September 2010, either with the information requested or with a valid refusal notice. The IPCC is also required to resolve the cases referred to the ICO within 35 calendar days.
Full details from ICO web site (pdf document)