Index

What do FOIA and the EIR say about requests for personal information?

Part one: Is the request for personal data?

• • What is personal data?
  • Can people be identified?
  • Do you hold it as unstructured manual data?
  • Is the requested information the requester’s own personal data?
  • Is the requested information the requester and other individuals' personal data?
  • Is the requested information someone else’s personal data (ie third-party personal data?)

Part two: Can you confirm or deny holding the requested information?

• • What is the duty to confirm or deny?
  • Is the requested information personal data, or would it be if you held it?
  • Is it the requester’s personal data, or would it be if you held it?
  • Is it third-party personal data, or would it be if you held it?
  • First condition: would confirming or denying contravene the data protection principles?
  • Second condition: would confirming or denying contravene the right to object?
  • Third condition: would confirmation be exempt from the right of access under data protection legislation?

Part three: The first condition – Would disclosure contravene the data protection principles?

• • Would disclosure contravene principle (a)?
  • Would disclosure be lawful?
  • Would disclosure be fair and transparent?
  • Do you meet the additional conditions for processing special category data?
  • Do you meet the additional conditions for processing criminal offence data?

Part four: The second condition – Would disclosure contravene the right to object?

• • What is the right to object under Article 21 of the UK GDPR?
    • Did the data subject object before you received the request?
    • Did the data subject object when you received the request?
  • What is the right to object under section 99 of Part 4 of the DPA18?

Part five: The third condition – Would the requested third-party personal data be exempt from the right of access?

• • Would any of the data protection exemptions apply to the individual’s right of access?
  • How do you apply the public interest test?

Part six: Issuing a refusal notice

• • What information should you include in your refusal notice?
  • What should you tell requesters about internal reviews?

What are some common scenarios and what should you include in your refusal notice?