Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2021, to Question 15251, on Freedom of Information, how many freedom of information requests received by his Department have been referred to the central Cabinet Office Clearing House on Freedom of Information requests for advice on handling in each of the last five years.
FOI requests are referred to the Clearing House in line with the published criteria available on Gov.uk. The Clearing House, which has been in existence since 2004, provides advice to ensure a consistent approach across government to requests for information.
To find the exact number of requests referred would involve a disproportionate cost to the department.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consistently receives around 1,000 Freedom of Information each year and has sustained performance well above the Information Commissioner’s timeliness target of 90% for the last two years.