Renfrewshire Council

What a freedom of information (FOI) request is

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives the people of Scotland the right, by law, to access information produced by public authorities.

The aim of the Act is to increase openness and transparency and to make public bodies more accountable. People are now able to see and question how we function and how our decisions are made.

Publication scheme

We have a Freedom of Information (FOI) publication scheme [170KB] in place. It gives details of:

• the information available to you
• the format it's available in
• who to contact to get it
• any fees involved.

There are over 100 classes of information that we already make available in this way.

You should check the publication scheme [170KB] before you make an enquiry.

Enquiries concerning this information are not dealt with in terms of the 2002 Act.

How to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request

You must make requests for information in writing, or in another permanent form like email or voicemail. You must give a return address for correspondence to be sent to in hard copy or electronic form.

You can:

• email us at foi@renfrewshire.gov.uk
• write to the Information Officer at Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1TR.

When you make a request, be as specific as you can about the information you want and give us as much information as you can to help us find what you are looking for.

Let us know if you need the information in a special format such as large print or a language other than English.

If you need information that relates to you as an individual, you should make your request under the Data Protection Act.

Our response

We aim to deal with all requests as promptly as possible and within 20 working days.

We may also ask you for more details to further identify the information you have asked for. There are some occasions when information will not be supplied to you - and in these cases, we will tell you why.

If you are not satisfied with the way your request is dealt with, you can ask us for a formal review of our decision. You can appeal the outcome of this review to the Scottish Information Commissioner.