General right of access to information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities (including LFEPA).

The Act sets out exemptions from that right and also places a number of obligations on public authorities. Anyone who makes a request to a public authority for information must be informed whether that authority holds that information and, subject to exemptions, must be supplied with that information.

We have a duty to provide advice and assistance to anyone seeking information, for example, in order to explain what is readily available or to clarify what is wanted.

Making a request for information
A lot of our information is available in our publication scheme. If you want to make a request for information which is not currently available in our publication scheme, please complete the information request form to provide us with details of the information you are looking for.

We will aim to respond to your request as soon as possible and in any case within 20 working days of receiving it. Please send completed forms to our Information Access Team. If we're unable to meet the deadline, we'll let you know when we expect to respond to you. 

How we will make information available
Most information will be made available by email or post. If you want to receive information in a particular way or format, then please contact our Information Access Team. We'll aim to meet your requirements if it's reasonably practical to do so. 

Charges for information
Please see charging for information. 

When information may be withheld
The Freedom of Information Act sets out exemptions, which in some circumstances allow public authorities to withhold requested information. If we decide we want to rely on an exemption so that we can withhold information you have requested, we will tell you which exemption has been applied and explain the reason why it is applicable. [Note: some exemptions, for example, national security, may allow us not to confirm or deny whether information is held.]

Some of the exemptions require us to consider the public interest. In applying this ‘public interest’ test, we'll assess whether it is in the public interest to disclose the information rather than withhold it. Where the public interest test has been applied, we'll explain how we came to our decision. 

If you’re not satisfied 
If you're not satisfied with the information that has been provided, you can ask us to review our decision or the information provided, by writing to our Information Access Team. We will assess whether the decision can be reviewed and explain the process to you.  

If you are not entirely satisfied with the service you receive, contact our Information Access Team or see details about how to make a compliment or complaint, including our procedures for handling them.

Once our internal processes have been exhausted, and you are still unhappy with the outcome, you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Transfer of requests
When we receive a request for information that we do not hold or own, we will help you, as far as reasonable, to transfer your request to the relevant organisation. If we need to transfer your request, we'll ask for your permission first.   

If you would like information about other members of the ‘GLA Group’ - Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Metropolitan Police Authority or the London Development Agency contact them direct, and they'll deal with your request. You can also contact the Metropolitan Police Service or the London Ambulance Service.

Information owned by another organisation
We hold some information which we may not own or have responsibility for. In this case, where reasonably practical, we will aim to consult the owners of the information before we decide whether or not we are able to disclose the information.  

Contact us
Please contact us if you have any queries or concerns. 

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