Response timeframe for email enquiries: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002


Information requested

You asked 

  • "Does the Scottish Government have a target timeframe in which it aims to respond to email enquiries?
  • Is information available on how well this target is met?"

Response

The timeframes we aim to provide responses to email enquiries by type are set out in the below table:

Enquiry Type Response timeframe from receipt of
email
FOI Request 20 working days
Subject access request Within 1 calendar month
Ministerial Correspondence 20 working days
Complaint:
Initial frontline resolution
Stage 2 investigation
Further investigation

5 working days
20 working days
Timescale agreed with complainant

In addition to the above detailed timeframe it is pertinent to highlight that the Subject Access Request timeframe for issue of a response can be extended up to 3 months to accommodate complex requests.

In relation to performance targets some of the information you have requested, specifically the FOI response performance is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/freedom-of-information-foireporting/. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. 

Subject Access Request (SAR) response performance can be found in the below table. Please note I have provided the figures for SARs received from April 2020 to September 2020:

Total subject access
requests received
54  
Responded to on time 35 Note: within GDPR-mandated
one calendar month response
limit
Responded over one
month, with extension
applied
2 Note: GDPR allows for up to 3
months to be applied to
response limit in certain cases
Responded to late 1 Note: delay was 1 working day
No response issued
as no identification
submitted with
request, no response
to request for ID from
Scottish Government
4  
Personal data
requested is held by
another organisation
12 Note: requesters are directed
to submit a request to the
organisation which holds their
data within 3 working days

Ministerial Correspondence response performance is enclosed in the below table. Please note I have provided the 6 months prior to the date of this request:

Month in year
2020
Percentage responded to
within 20 days of receipt
April 77%
May 72%
June 58%
July 63%
August 55%
September 60%

Complaint response performance is enclosed in the below table. Please note I have provided the 6 months prior to the date of this request:

Month in year
2020
Percentage responded to
within the designated
timeframes
April 0%
May 100%
June 100%
July 100%
August 50%
September 33%

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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