United Kingdom · Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000, public-interest test and Tribunal appeals included

AccessPoint manages Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests — the 20-working-day clock, the absolute and qualified exemptions with the public-interest test, the section 12 cost limit, and internal review through to ICO decision notices and First-tier Tribunal appeals — pre-configured for the United Kingdom and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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United Kingdom — FOIA at a glance

Response standard
20 working days from receipt (section 10)
Appeal route
Internal review → ICO decision notice (s.50) → First-tier Tribunal (ss.57–58)
Exemptions
Part II absolute and qualified exemptions (ss.21–44); qualified ones subject to the public-interest test (s.2)
Charges
No fee for standard requests; refuse over the section 12 appropriate limit — £600 central government, £450 other authorities
Oversight
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO); appeals to the First-tier Tribunal
Languages
English, with Welsh and other languages configurable

Built for United Kingdom — FOIA

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

FOIA request lifecycle

Intake to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 — the 20-working-day clock, the Part II exemptions, the public-interest test, and internal review — all on Microsoft 365.

The public-interest test

For every qualified exemption, weigh the public interest in maintaining it against the public interest in disclosure (section 2) — reasoned, recorded, and Tribunal-ready.

The 20-working-day clock

Respond within 20 working days of receipt (section 10) on a UK working-day calendar — with the limited extension to weigh the public interest tracked and reminded for you.

Exemptions and redaction

Apply the Part II exemptions (ss.21–44) line by line — separating absolute from qualified — on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record.

Section 12 cost limit

Estimate the cost of compliance against the appropriate limit — £600 for central government, £450 for other authorities, at £25 an hour — and issue a fees notice or refusal when it is exceeded.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

The public-interest test and the appeal chain

In the UK, a qualified exemption only holds if the public interest says so — and the ICO can overrule you.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 makes disclosure the default. Many of its Part II exemptions are 'qualified': the authority may withhold only if, in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure (section 2). A dissatisfied requester escalates to internal review, then to the Information Commissioner, whose section 50 decision notice binds the authority. Either side may appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. AccessPoint records the public-interest balance, runs the internal review, and manages the file through the ICO and the Tribunal.

Public-interest test The section 2 balance for every qualified exemption, reasoned and recorded.
ICO decision notice The Commissioner's binding section 50 ruling, managed from complaint to outcome.
First-tier Tribunal Appeals under sections 57–58 tracked to disposition, with the file assembled.

Configured out of the box

Installing the uk-foia configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c. 36) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The UK bank-holiday calendar and the 20-working-day due-date rules (section 10)
  • The Part II exemptions (ss.21–44), colour-coded and split into absolute and qualified
  • The section 2 public-interest test recorded for every qualified exemption
  • Section 12 appropriate-limit handling — £600 / £450 at £25 an hour — with fees notices
  • Internal review, then ICO decision-notice and First-tier Tribunal appeal workflows
  • UK timeliness tracking against the 20-working-day standard
  • FOIA correspondence templates with statutory wording

United Kingdom — FOIA Questions

When must a UK public authority respond to an FOI request?
Section 10 requires a public authority to respond promptly and in any event within 20 working days of receipt. Where it needs more time to weigh the public interest on a qualified exemption, the Act allows a reasonable extension. AccessPoint computes the 20-working-day date on a UK working-day calendar and tracks any public-interest-test extension.

What makes FOIA distinctive — the public-interest test and the appeal chain?
Many Part II exemptions are qualified, so the authority may withhold only if the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure (section 2). A dissatisfied requester goes to internal review, then to the ICO for a binding section 50 decision notice, with appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber). AccessPoint records the balance and manages the escalation.

What can a public authority charge?
There is normally no fee for a standard FOI request. If the authority estimates that compliance would exceed the appropriate limit — £600 for central government or £450 for other authorities, calculated at £25 per hour under the Fees Regulations 2004 — it may refuse under section 12 or charge in limited cases. AccessPoint estimates the cost and issues the section 12 notice.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Freedom of Information Act in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for the United Kingdom. No credit card required.

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