FOIA Section 16

Provision of Advice and Assistance

Public authorities are required to provide the requester with advice and assistance while processing their request. This is especially important where a request for information exceeds the appropriate cost limit.

Official Guidance

• ICO: Awareness guidance 23 - advice and assistance
• ICO: Good practice in providing advice and assistance
• MoJ: http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/foi-procedural-assistance.htm

ICO Lines To Take

Relevant Lines to Take

LTT177 - Advice and assistance where a request cannot be refined - 05/07/2010 LTT137 - Refined and clarified requests as "new” requests - 14/09/2009 LTT142 - Specifying steps in relation to advice and assistance - 18/02/2009 LTT141 - Advice and assistance in relation to s12 - 13/02/2009 LTT89 - More than one objective reading of a request - 14/11/2008 LTT90 - “Duty” to read a request objectively - 28/07/2008 LTT88 - Clarifying requests - 02/04/2008 LTT87 - Limits of s16 - 02/04/2008 LTT120 - Advice and assistance - erroneous reliance on s14 or derogation - 23/02/2008 LTT9 - Issues not raised by complainant - 29/08/2006 LTT8 - Clarification of requests - 29/08/2006

ICO Decision Notices

Complaints upheld / partly upheld (P)

Complaints not upheld

FS50229762 - Ministry of Justice - 19/04/2010 FS50128567 - Department of Health - 30/03/2010 FS50211876 - Portsmouth City Council - 25/03/2010 FS50171231 - British Council - 09/03/2010 FS50143525 - Department for Culture, Media and Sport - 02/03/2010 FS50246007 - Serious Fraud Office - 01/03/2010 FS50144707 - Department for Children, Schools and Families - 01/03/2010 FS50207333 - Her Majesty's Courts Service - 25/02/2010 FS50236068 - Foreign and Commonwealth Office - 12/01/2010 FS50102962 - Ministry of Defence - 21/12/2009 FS50211315 - University of Leeds - 17/12/2009 FS50220025 - Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission - 14/12/2009 FS50142898 - Lancashire Police - 30/11/2009 FS50202964 - National Offender Management Service - 25/11/2009 FS50169315 - North West London Hospitals NHS Trust - 16/11/2009 FS50205855 - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - 09/11/2009 FS50188743 - Drayton Manor High School - 06/11/2009 FS50182746 - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - 03/11/2009 FS50165492 - Bridgend County Borough Council - 22/10/2009 FS50197511 - Home Office - 19/10/2009 FS50230575 - Leicester City Council - 09/09/2009 FS50143930 - Chief Officer of Essex Police - 25/08/2009 FS50210439 - Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust - 17/08/2009 FS50212832 - Crown Prosecution Service - 29/07/2009 FS50197355 - City of Westminster Council - 27/07/2009 FS50190669 - Wood Green High School - 16/07/2009 FS50201884 - Challock Parish Council - 16/06/2009 FS50203140 - Cabinet Office - 13/05/2009 FS5015374 - BBC - 22/04/2009 FS50090393 - BBC - 09/02/2009 FS50173284 - Office of Fair Trading - 11/12/2008 FS50121519 - Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform - 01/12/2008 FS50198379 - Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - 24/11/2008 FS50150648 - BBC - 14/08/2008 FS50103726 - BBC - 11/08/2008 FS50107607 - Ministry of Defence - 22/05/2008 FS50131779 - Council of the University of Southampton - 13/02/2008 FS50111331 - Hampshire Constabulary - 28/01/2008 FS50070467 - BBC - 16/10/2007 FS50112042 - Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police - 10/10/2007 FS50147860 - BBC - 08/10/2007 FS50117814 - Chief Constable of West Midlands Police - 17/09/2007 FS50082220 - BBC - 27/03/2007 FS50074788 - Northern Ireland Office - 27/02/2007 FS50074871 - Doncaster MBC - 22/01/2007 FS50105724 - London Borough of Sutton - 11/12/2006 FS50083791 - National Assembly for Wales - 12/10/2006 FS50075607 - Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs - 31/07/2006 FS50075094 - Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs - 12/07/2006 FS50083138 - Cabinet Office - 07/07/2006... further results

FS50193661 - Department for Culture, Media and Sport - 29/03/2010 FS50191904 - Financial Services Authority - 08/03/2010 FS50124339 - Home Office - 02/03/2010 FS50194062 - National Savings and Investments - 02/03/2010 FS50203058 - Office of Communications - 21/12/2009 FS50254756 - Derby City Council - 16/12/2009 FS50252027 - NHS Northamptonshire - 27/10/2009 FS50177654 - Cambridgeshire Constabulary - 07/09/2009 FS50194697 - Bedgrove Junior School - 30/07/2009 FS50217364 - University of Wolverhampton - 22/06/2009 FS50160381 - Buckinghamshire County Council - 18/05/2009 FS50165494 - Her Majesty's Courts Service - 19/03/2009 FS50175541 - Ministry of Justice - 18/12/2008 FS50173282 - Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust - 11/12/2008 FS50146833 - BBC - 26/11/2008 FS50130305 - Ministry of Justice - 03/07/2008 FS50147950 - Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman - 02/07/2007 FS50092955 - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - 04/06/2007 FS50118044 - Leeds City Council - 10/04/2007 FS50112855 - Ofcom - 26/03/2007 FS50095636 - Department of Health - 12/03/2007 FS50132229 - Chester City Council - 06/03/2007 FS50086076 - Swansea NHS Trust - 05/12/2006 FS50087341 - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - 29/06/2006 FS50073576 - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - 29/06/2006 FS50093054 - Regional Development Northern Ireland - 07/04/2006 FS50077102 - Bolsover District Council - 21/03/2006 FS50094879 - Ministry of Defence - 06/12/2005 FS50068019 - Inland Revenue - 25/11/2005 FAC0068022 - Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council - 03/08/2005 FS50063475 - Nottingham City Council - 05/07/2005 FS50062326 - Hull City Council - 05/07/2005

Includes DNs up to: 26 April 2010