Unique correspondence logged between April 2020 and March 2021: FOI release

Information requested

Please share with me the total number of unique correspondence cases logged between 1st April 2020 and 31st March 2021 and the percentage of these which were answered on time (only where there is a mandated response time and so this stat will already be tracked and available) for the following areas:

• Data protection requests (including subject access requests and other data subject requests made possible under GDPR)
• Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations
• Complaints
• Ministerial Correspondence (questions from MPs made on behalf of their constituents)
• Parliamentary Questions (questions raised in parliament requiring information from you)
• Any other official correspondence type, such as enquiries, feedback or compliments which are logged and tracked.

For clarity, I'm just seeking the total number of unique cases and not specifics such as the number of iindividual emails that have been sent or received whilst working on each case. 

Finally, please confirm which software application is being used to track these requests i.e. Excel, Sharepoint, Access or a specific case management tool - in which case, please state which one.

Response

Please see the below table for some of the information requested -

Type of request	Total number of unique cases	Percentage answered on time	System used to track these cases
Data protection	128	91%	Excel
Freedom of Information (FOI)	4029*	80%	MiCase (Case management system)
Parliamentary Questions (PQ)	7397	79%	PQ Tracker

* 4250 new cases were registered. However, 4029 of those cases were valid under FOISA

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the some of the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. The Scottish Government receives a significant volume of correspondence. As you have asked for a specific sub-set of Ministerial correspondence (specifically correspondents from MPs on behalf of their constituents) and complaints, we would need to construct bespoke reports in order to extract that information. We would require assistance from an external company to construct and run those reports. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider revising the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. For example you may wish to enquire about Ministerial correspondence more generally, rather than a specific sub-set of it.. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's "Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs" on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

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.