FOI release

FOI202600016S FOI/EIR handling, systems and statistics

Published 18 September 2026

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST REF: FOI 2026/00016S 

Thank you for your email of 20 August 2026 asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000. You asked: 

“Please provide the following: 

1) The name of any case management or software system currently used to log, track and manage FOI/EIR requests, including any modules, add-ons or configured tools (for example a CRM, case management platform, shared mailbox or SharePoint list) used for this purpose. 

2) A copy or extract of any recorded documentation (for example internal guidance, process maps or handling procedures) describing how FOI/EIR requests are logged, tracked and managed. If no such documentation is held, please confirm that. 

3) The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff involved in processing FOI/EIR requests, and the job titles of those roles. I am not requesting the names of any individuals; job titles or role descriptions are sufficient. 

4) Any recorded information describing how FOI/EIR requests are assigned and coordinated across the organisation — for example, whether a central team handles requests end-to-end, or whether requests are passed to individual departments or teams to respond directly. If no such information is held, please confirm that. 

5) Any recorded information setting out internal target response times for FOI/EIR requests in addition to the statutory 20 working day deadline — for example internal service level agreements, process checklists or workflow timelines. If no such information is held, please confirm that. 

6) For each of the last five financial years ending 31 March (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26), please provide separately for each year: 

a. The number of FOI requests received 

b. The number of EIR requests received 

c. The number of Subject Access Requests (SARs) received 

d. The number of each of the above completed within the applicable statutory timeframe 

Please provide these figures for each year individually rather than as a combined total across the period. If your organisation records its statistics on a calendar year basis instead, figures for calendar years 2021 to 2025 would be equally acceptable. I appreciate that SARs fall under the UK GDPR rather than the FOIA; I am requesting only the recorded statistics relating to them.” 

I am writing to confirm that we have now completed the search for the information which you requested.   

I can confirm that FCDO Services does hold information relevant to your request, as set out below. 

1) The name of any case management or software system currently in use by FCDO Services is withheld under Section 31 – see below for further information. 

2) As an executive agency and trading fund of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), FCDO Services follows the FCDO’s policy on freedom of information, as detailed here - https://www.fcdoservices.gov.uk/freedom-of-information/ 

3) Less than 5 officers within the Knowledge and Information Management Team. 

4) As per question 2, FCDO Services follows the FCDO’s policy on freedom of information requests. Within FCDO Services, all requests are centrally managed by the Knowledge and Information Management Team.  

5) 2 x KPIs to monitor internal FOI targets, as follows: 

i. Actioned within 2 working days, upon receipt 

ii. Submitted to the FCDO within FCDO timescales, or completed within statutory timescales   

6) a. This information is exempt under section 21 of the FOIA, as we are not required to provide information in response to a request if it is already reasonably accessible to you.  The number of FOIs received can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fcdo-services-annual-reports-and-accounts  

b. No information held 

c. See reply to 6(a) above. 

d. Number completed within the applicable timeframe: 

	FOIs	SARs
21/22	12	Not held
22/23	16	2
23/24	16	3
24/25	28	14
25/26	30	14

Section 31   

Section 31(1) is a qualified exemption, which means that it is subject to a public interest test. We acknowledge the public interest in openness and transparency. However, disclosure of the information requested could aid a criminal who was intent on launching an attack on the Department’s ICT systems and could expose the department to potential threats such as targeted e-crime, reveal any potential network infrastructure / cyber vulnerabilities or weaknesses and expose the department to potential threats of a criminal nature.   

For the reasons set out above, we have assessed that the public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure. 

Once an FOI request is answered, it is considered to be in the public domain.  To promote transparency, FCDO Services may now publish the response and any material released on GOV.UK in the FOI releases section.  All personal information in the letter will be removed before publishing.  

Where copies of information have been supplied to you they will continue to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.  You are free to use it for your own purposes, including any non-commercial research you are doing and for the purposes of news reporting.  Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would require the permission of the copyright holder.  Most documents supplied by the FCDO will have been produced by government officials and will be protected by Crown Copyright.  To re-use Crown Copyright documents please consult the Open Government Licence v3 on the National Archives website. 

Information you receive which is not subject to Crown Copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party (non-Crown Copyright) information. 

If you would like to request a review of our decision, you should write to the Data Protection Officer (DPO), Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team, FCDO Services, Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, England, MK19 7BH (e-mail: FCDOServices.DataProtectionOfficer@fcdo.gov.uk).  Please note you have 40 working days to do so from the date of this letter. Please quote the reference number above in any future communications. 

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  Generally, the Information Commissioner cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the FCDO. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, or online at: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/  

Yours sincerely, 

FOI Officer 

Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) Team 

FCDO Services 

For information about how FCDO Services handles personal information please see our Personal Information Charter.