Response timeframe for email enquiries: FOI release

Information requested

You asked 

• "Does the Scottish Government have a target timeframe in which it aims to respond to email enquiries?
• Is information available on how well this target is met?"

Response

The timeframes we aim to provide responses to email enquiries by type are set out in the below table:

Enquiry Type	Response timeframe from receipt of email
FOI Request	20 working days
Subject access request	Within 1 calendar month
Ministerial Correspondence	20 working days
Complaint: Initial frontline resolution Stage 2 investigation Further investigation	5 working days 20 working days Timescale agreed with complainant

In addition to the above detailed timeframe it is pertinent to highlight that the Subject Access Request timeframe for issue of a response can be extended up to 3 months to accommodate complex requests.

In relation to performance targets some of the information you have requested, specifically the FOI response performance is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/freedom-of-information-foireporting/. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. 

Subject Access Request (SAR) response performance can be found in the below table. Please note I have provided the figures for SARs received from April 2020 to September 2020:

Total subject access requests received	54
Responded to on time	35	Note: within GDPR-mandated one calendar month response limit
Responded over one month, with extension applied	2	Note: GDPR allows for up to 3 months to be applied to response limit in certain cases
Responded to late	1	Note: delay was 1 working day
No response issued as no identification submitted with request, no response to request for ID from Scottish Government	4
Personal data requested is held by another organisation	12	Note: requesters are directed to submit a request to the organisation which holds their data within 3 working days

Ministerial Correspondence response performance is enclosed in the below table. Please note I have provided the 6 months prior to the date of this request:

Month in year 2020	Percentage responded to within 20 days of receipt
April	77%
May	72%
June	58%
July	63%
August	55%
September	60%

Complaint response performance is enclosed in the below table. Please note I have provided the 6 months prior to the date of this request:

Month in year 2020	Percentage responded to within the designated timeframes
April	0%
May	100%
June	100%
July	100%
August	50%
September	33%

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.