Sport NI Freedom of Information
Freedom of Information gives everyone the right to request information from public authorities.
Freedom of Information – What it means for you?
The FOI Act 2000 means that, since the 1st January 2005, you can get information to help you to understand better how this organisation works, how we spend public money, and how and why we make our decisions.
Under section 19(1) of the Freedom of Information Act every public authority is required to adopt and maintain a publication scheme setting out the classes of information it holds, the manner in which it intends to publish the information and whether or not a charge will be made for the information.
The Information Commissioner, who is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, has drawn up a model publication scheme for all public sector organisations.
The organisation has formally adopted the Information Commissioner’s model publication scheme. The scheme is organised into seven classes of information and should save you time and effort when searching for information.
How to make a request
One of the aims of the Freedom of Information Act is that public authorities should be clear and proactive about the information they will make public.
Central to this is the preparation of the publication scheme (a list of classes of information which the organisation makes, or intends to make, routinely available). Please check published information for the information you require.
If the information you require is not listed there please make a request.
Your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act must be made in writing including email. Please ensure that you:
Sometimes we may need to contact you to clarify exactly what information you require.
It will help us to process your request more quickly if you are specific about what you want and provide a telephone number on which we can contact you if necessary.
How long does to take to get information?
Once a request for information has been received, the organisation has 20 working days to respond – this time can be extended if
Is there a cost for getting information?
Responses to enquiries that cost the organisation less than £450 to process (for example; locating, retrieving and extracting the information) will normally be provided free of charge.
The organisation has the right to refuse a response to a request that is estimated to cost more than £450 to process. However, the organisation may choose to process the request if the cost is greater than £450 and if we do, you may be charged the costs in full. In this case, we will send you a fees notice and you can decide whether you want us to proceed.
The organisation may impose a charge on any request in relation to disbursements. Disbursements include printing, photocopying and postage charges.
Complaints
If you are not satisfied with the reply from the organisation you can contact the Information Governance Manager who is responsible for reviewing the responses.
The Information Governance Manager will investigate your complaint further and provide you with a reply, normally within 20 working days of the receipt of your notification of dissatisfaction with the original response.
If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction after your response to your complaint you may refer your complaint to the Information Commissioner who is independent to the organisation.
