Reference: FOI-2024-1863
You asked
For the last 3 tax year's (23/22, 22/21, 21/20) please provide the total cost of:
Total number of staff hired with responsibility for freedom of information requests, (full time equivalent).
Total salary costs for staff with responsibility for freedom of information requests.
Total for all other costs associated with handling freedom of information requests.
Total number of freedom of information requests received, and total number responded with the requested information.
We said
Thank you for your request.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are one of the many areas of responsibility for the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) Legal Services team. They are the central hub for coordination of requests received and the provision of advice for compliance with FOIA. Draft responses to FOI requests are provided by members of staff across the UKSA with the relevant expertise. The time these staff spend on FOIs is not recorded and fluctuates depending on how many requests their business area receives in any given period.
The Legal Services team comprises of 2 Grade 7s, 2 Senior Executive Officers (SEOs), 1 Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and 1 Executive Officer (EO), all of whom are qualified to provide advice and assistance for FOI, alongside their other work and responsibilities. Due to this, we are unable to quantify exact hours and costs relating to the Legal Services Team and other members of staff contributing to FOI requests.
EO to Grade 6 Pay Ranges (2023) are as follows:
- EO National: £25,954 - £30,395
- EO London: £28,942 - £33,634
- HEO National: £32,452 - £36,874
- HEO London: £35,587 - £40,056
- SEO National: £39,394 - £44,432
- SEO London: £42,519 - £47,672
- G7 National: £53,352 - £62,898
- G7 London: £56,487 - £67,270
We report volumes, timeliness, and outcomes of FOI requests quarterly to the Cabinet Office (CO), which are published on their website here: Government FOI statistics. The total number of FOI requests received and the number answered providing the information for the years requested are available via this link.