Department for Education
- Date 11 October 2019
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 10: Upheld
The complainant requested information regarding numbers of complaints to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The Department for Education (DfE) estimated that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the cost threshold but then released the information during the Commissioner’s investigation. The complainant remains dissatisfied with the length of time it took the DfE to comply with its duties under section 1(1) of the FOIA. The Commissioner’s decision is that the DfE’s response to the complainant’s request of 11 October 2018 breached section 10(1) of the FOIA as the DfE did not comply with section 1(1) within 20 working days. The information has now been released and the Commissioner does not require the DfE to take any steps to ensure compliance with the legislation.