FOI release

SIA prosecution in Northern Ireland: cost to the SIA

Published 2 September 2025

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Request

Please tell me:

  1. The total cost to SIA of judicial review proceedings in [REDACTED]’s application [2019] [REDACTED]
  2. The total cost to the SIA of Re SIA’s application [2021] [REDACTED]
  3. The total cost to the SIA of SIA v [REDACTED] [2024] [REDACTED]
  4. The total cost to the SIA of magistrates’ court proceedings (inclusive of the costs order) against [REDACTED], commenced on foot of summons dated [REDACTED] 2018
  5. The total cost (in so far as quantifiable) of the SIA’s investigation into [REDACTED], including travel and subsidence paid to staff; courier fees for moving seized material; storage; computer forensic analysis

Response

I can confirm that the SIA holds the information you have requested. This e-mail constitutes a notice of refusal to comply with your request for the reason I will explain below.

Exceeding the appropriate cost limit

Section 12(1) – (4) of the Freedom of Information Act allows a public authority to refuse to deal with a request where it estimates that it would exceed the appropriate limit to comply with the request in its entirety or to confirm or deny whether the requested information is held. In the case of a public authority such as the SIA, the appropriate cost limit is £450. The ICO guidance and The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 sets out how a public authority should estimate whether the work required to obtain information is reasonable and appropriate. In the case of requests that would require work on the part of public authority staff, this is estimated at a rate of £25 per person per hour. This means that 18 hours is considered the appropriate limit.

The SIA is therefore refusing to deal with your request under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act because compliance would exceed the appropriate cost limit.

What information can we provide?

We have considered the information that we can provide within the appropriate cost limit which can be found below.

  1. The total external legal spend to SIA of judicial review proceedings in [REDACTED]’s application [2019] [REDACTED] is £67,680.00.
  2. The total external legal spend to the SIA of Re SIA’s application [2021] [REDACTED] is £33,050.62.
  3. The total external legal spend to the SIA of SIA v [REDACTED] [2024] [REDACTED] is £74,406.56.
  4. The total external legal spend to the SIA of magistrates’ court proceedings (inclusive of the costs order) against [REDACTED], commenced on foot of summons dated [REDACTED] 2018 is £39,473.68.
  5. The total cost for courier fees for moving seized material; storage; computer forensic analysis and independent counsel’s review of electronic material subject to legal professional privilege and journalistic privilege is £3,100.00.

[Ref: FOI 0560]

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