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<p>In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) the 20 working
day deadline for response to requests for information may be extended in order to
consider the balance of public interest regarding disclosure of held information.</p><p>In
2018, 82% of requests received by the Department were answered within the statutory
20-day deadline or with a permitted extension. In the first quarter of 2019, 68% of
requests were answered within the 20-day deadline or with a permitted extension.</p><p>The
complexity and diverse nature of the Department means that individual requests may
require the involvement of more than one area of the Department and/or consultation
with key stakeholders. Regrettably this can sometimes lead to delays in the Department’s
ability to providing a timely response.</p><p>The Department remains committed to
improving the number of requests answered within the statutory deadline and is working
closely with officials across the Department.</p>
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