Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Freedom of Information Act 2000: Practitioners’ guide to making and framing effective requests (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Published by a LexisNexis Public Law expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note offers a practical ‘how to’ overview of making a freedom of information (FOI) request, with primary attention on applications under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FIA 2000). Both FIA 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR 2004), SI 2004/3391, grant a right to access recorded information held by public authorities. The emphasis here is on FIA 2000. For more on EIR 2004, see: Environmental information—overview. This note does not address the grounds for refusing an FOI request or for withholding material. For those topics, see Practice Notes: Absolute exemptions to a freedom of information request and Qualified exemptions to a freedom of information request.

Key legislation and guidance

This guide should be read alongside the following legislation, code of practice, and Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) materials:

FIA 2000
Cabinet Office—Freedom of Information Code of Practice
ICO—Guidance: How to write an effective request for information
ICO—Guidance: Recognising a request made under the Freedom of Information Act (section 8)

Further guidance is available on the ICO website. See, for example, ‘How to access information from a public authority’.

Rights of access to information from a public authority...

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Susan Wolf

Susan Wolf was formerly a Principal Law lecturer at the Northumbria University School of Law, where she taught law for 26 years. During this time Susan developed the LLM in Information Rights Law and Practice and the Postgraduate Certificate in Data Protection Law at the University. Susan taught on the LLM for 11 years and taught over 350 information rights practitioners, including Information Rights Tribunal members and ICO staff. Susan has delivered training and conference papers nationally and internationally in the field of FOIA 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. She wrote the Law Society Handbook on Environmental Information and was a contributor for the Law Society’s Information Sharing Handbook. Susan was also the co-author of Wolf & Stanley on Environmental Law which went into its sixth edition. After leaving the University in 2017 Susan became a consultant at Act Now Training where she...

Web page updated on 22/05/2026

Popular documents

Using the Judicial College Guidelines to assess general damages in personal injury claims

When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...

Tomlin orders in England and Wales: CPR guidance on drafting, confidentiality, approval, variation, enforcement, limitation, CCA issues, court-specific requirements, sample wording and precedents

This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...

Precedent: Deed of Surrender of Lease with Optional Premium, Settlement and Release, Landlord, Mortgagee and Guarantor Consents, Reimbursement and HM Land Registry Provisions (England and Wales)

Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...

Precedent Statutory Declaration: Standard Wording under the Statutory Declarations Act 1835

I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...