Scrutiny of the Welsh Government by Janet Finch-Saunders, Assembly Member for Aberconwy, has led to her uncovering the fact that 17.75% of Freedom of Information Request submitted by Assembly Members between 2015 and 2017 were not answered within the legal time frame.
Janet said:
“That the Welsh Government has been late responding to almost one fifth of the Freedom of Information Requests submitted by Assembly Members like myself is contemptuous.
“Why, when the Freedom of Information Act 2000 clearly states that public authorities should respond to requests promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of receipt, is the Welsh Government missing the target on so many?
“Really, these figures bring many serious questions to the fore, such as whether the Welsh Government is trying to delay scrutiny by the National Assembly for Wales.
“Going forward, I have responded to the Frist Minister asking how many FOI requests were rejected, only partially answered, and sent for internal review. As I hope you will agree, the response will offer a greater understanding of the Welsh Government’s handling of an important method of scrutiny”.
ENDS
Written Assembly Question by Janet Finch-Saunders:
Will the Cabinet Secretary state how many Freedom of Information Requests were submitted by Assembly Members to the Welsh Government in 2015, 2016, 2017, and how many were answered within the statutory time frame?
Response by Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister:
The figures requested are in the table below. These figures refer to all requests made under the statutory access to information regime and include requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, The Data Protection Act 1998 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. This is consistent with the way statistics on information requests are published.
Response by Janet Finch-Saunders AM:
Further to WAQ76391, will the First Minister outline, for the same time periods, how many FOI requests were rejected, how many were only partially answered, and how many were sent for internal review - to include the outcome of such reviews?
Notes
