The number of Freedom of Information requests received by States departments has increased more than tenfold in a decade.
164 were received by States departments and other island authorities last year – compared to just 15 in 2016.
15 were also received throughout 2014 after the island first adopted the Access to Public Information system, which preceded the current Freedom of Information Code that was formalised in 2021.
A spike in 2017 saw 37 ‘API’ requests received, before the number dropped to fewer than 20 in 2018.
64 were received in 2019, before dropping into the 50s during the pandemic years.
In 2023 the number of FOIs received climbed to 70 before hitting 104 in 2024.
Each request must be responded to within 20 working days under the FOI code – and if it can’t be, the responding body must let the ‘requestor’ know why the answer will take longer.
There are also exemptions which can be applied if a response cannot legally be given or there is a valid reason not to. In these cases the reason why information has been withheld must be given in writing to the requestor.
In 2024 and 2025 – when the most FOI requests were received by the States – fewer than half were responded to within 20-days.
The organisational target is to respond to 90% of all FOIs within 20-days but in 2024 that only happened on 42% of occasions, and 41% in 2025.
This was partly due to the “increase in both the volume and complexity of requests received”, said the States.
This data was released through an FOI request received on 13 January, and responded to on 9 February – just within the 20-days period.
A spokesperson for the States said they are trying to avoid unnecessary delays in dealing with FOIs including by examining ways of reducing the number that are received.
“Work is underway to reduce response times through strengthened internal processes, enhanced monitoring of requests, and a more consistent focus on early engagement with requesters to clarify scope and avoid unnecessary delay,” said the spokesperson.
“Performance data on compliance with the 20-day target is currently reported to the Strategic Leadership Team on a quarterly basis. The intention is to broaden this approach by publishing organisation-wide performance information on an annual basis. This reporting could also include a more nuanced assessment of how the Code is being applied, for example, the use of exemptions and the accessibility and effectiveness of the appeals process. This would involve examining whether the Code is helping to promote greater transparency, such as through increased proactive publication of information through monitoring the nature of the information requested through requests.”
