DoH Access to Information

Information Access

The introduction of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) gives everyone the right to request any recorded information held by the Department.

This includes any information we may hold on computers, in emails and in printed or handwritten documents as well as images, video and audio recordings.

You similarly have the right to get a copy of information that is held about you. This is known as a subject access request.

This right of subject access means that you can make a request under the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) to any ‘data controller’ or organisation processing your personal data.

You can ask the Department to supply you with copies of paper or computer records we hold about you and any related information

If you can’t find a document

The Department is committed to making information readily available, within the scope of the legislation. To assist us to deal with requests for information promptly, it would be helpful if you could direct enquiries to the Departmental Information Manager.

Requests for information must be in writing (or email), give your name and a correspondence (or email) address and describe the information requested. Applications should provide as much detail as possible to identify the information sought.

If the information you want is not routinely published, you can make a request for it under the Freedom of Information Act.

Publication scheme charges

Responses to enquiries that cost the Department less than £600 to process (ie locating, retrieving and extracting the information) will normally be provided free of charge.

The Department has the right to refuse a response to a request that is estimated to cost more than £600 to process.in respect of search and retrieval of the information. However, the Department may choose to process the request if the cost is greater than £600 and if we do, you may be charged the costs in full. In this case, we will send you a fees notice and you can decide whether you want us to proceed.

The Department may impose a charge on any request in relation to disbursements. Disbursements include printing, photocopying and postage charges.

Alternative formats

If the information is not in a format that meets your needs please contact FOI@health-ni.gov.uk

Crown copyright and licensing

The material on this site is subject to Crown copyright protection unless otherwise indicated.

You may use and re-use the information featured on this website (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence with only a few conditions.

Information supplied to you continues to be protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Therefore information you receive which is not subject to Crown copyright continues to be protected by the copyright of the person, or organisation, from which the information originated. You must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any third party (non-Crown copyright) information.