Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force on 1 January 2005 and gives general right of access by the public to recorded information held by public Authorities such as Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service. The Act is designed to ensure greater accountability, as well as to promote a more open culture.

A full copy of the Act may be viewed at the Office of Public Sector Information’s website: Freedom of Information Act 2000

Under the Freedom of Information Act each public authority is required to produce a Publication Scheme. This scheme outlines what information is available to members of the public, how the information can be accessed and whether the information is available free of charge or on payment.

Before you make a request for information, please inspect our Publication Scheme, as the information you require may all ready be available to members of the public, without the need for a specific request for information. To view or download our publication scheme click here

Making a request for Information

What you have to do
To make a request, you need to:

Make your request in writing and send to us by either:

letter –      Corporate Risk Department
                   Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters
                   2 Kings Court
                   Charles Hastings Way
                   Worcester
                   WR5 1JR

fax –          01905 357 466

e-mail –     Informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk or info@hwfire.org uk

Provide your name
Give a contact address for correspondence, either postal, fax or e-mail
Provide a full detailed description of the information you want – please note you do not have to state why you are requesting the information
If you need any assistance or advice about submitting a request, then please either contact us on Tel: 0845 12 24454 or visit us at Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters

What we have to do
In responding to your request, we will:

Acknowledge your request in writing within 3 working days
Contact you if we need further details in order to reply to your request
Inform you of any charges in connection with your request. The majority of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act are free of charge. However if locating, copying and supplying the information would cost the Service more than £450, then we can refuse to provide the information or ask you to refine your request or could ask you to pay a fee. This would be calculated in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004. If this is the case, the Service will contact you detailing the costs, which you will need to pay before the information will be released to you.
Confirm or deny whether we hold the information you requested
Respond to your request as soon as possible and within the statutory 20 working days timeframe, either providing you with the information requested or refusing your request due to it being covered by an exemption.

FOIA Exemptions
The FOIA contains exemptions; therefore there may be times when we are unable to disclose information to you.

If we refuse your request, then we will state why we are doing so and under which exemption.

A brief outline of the exemptions is listed below

Information reasonably accessible by other means, for instance, already available to members of the public in the Service’s Publication Scheme
Information related to security matters
Personal information (all such requests will be considered under the Data Protection Act 1998)
Legally protected information, included information used in the prevention and detection of crime and investigations and reports for legal proceedings
Information that will be published in the future
Confidential information
Information that would endanger a person’s health or safety
Environmental information (all such requests will be considered under the Environmental Information Regulations)
Trade secrets and information that would damage/influence commercial interests

Making a Complaint
If you feel that you have not received the information to which you are entitled or that your request has not been dealt with effectively, you may raise a concern or make a complaint. In the first instance, please use the Service’s On-line Complaints Form or contact us at:

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters
2 Kings Court
Charles Hastings Way
Worcester
WR5 1JR
Tel: 0845 12 24454

Your complaint will be dealt with under the Service’s complaints procedure – your concern will be acknowledged within 3 working days and replied to in writing within 10 working days of receipt of your complaint. Your request will be looked at again and reviewed by a Senior Manager who was not involved in replying to your initial request.

Taking it Further
If you are still not satisfied with the outcome after using our internal complaints procedure, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner – an independent authority, appointed by the Queen and reporting directly to Parliament, who is responsible for enforcing FOIA, EIR and DPA.

The Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 01625 545 700
Fax: 01625 524 510

E-mail: mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk

Information Commissioner’s web site: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk