Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) provides a right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. It doesn’t provide access to information about the environment, or about you as an individual, which are covered by the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Data Protection Act 2018 respectively.

We do not have to provide the information requested if we estimate that it would exceed 18 hours to locate and retrieve it, or if a request is vexatious.

Timescales

We will respond to a request for information no later than 20 working days following the date of receipt.

If we require further details to identify and locate the information you have asked for, we will contact you as soon as possible and will respond to your request within 20 working days of receiving that clarification.

In the event that some or all of the information requested falls under a qualified exemption, the CAA must consider the public interest in the release of that information. Should this occur, we are able to extend this timescale to consider the public interest. When we do this we will inform you within 20 working days following the receipt of your request and will normally provide a full response in no more than an additional 20 working days.

Exemptions

Certain information is exempt from disclosure.

Should any or all of the information you have requested be exempt, we will tell you which exemption(s) have been applied and why.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you have the right to request that we review the decision and, should you remain dissatisfied, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner.

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004

The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) provide a right of access to environmental information held by public authorities. Environmental information includes information about the air, water, soil or food chain, factors affecting them such as noise, energy and emissions and plans or policies likely to affect the environment.

We do not have to provide the information if a request is ‘manifestly unreasonable’.

Timescales

We will normally respond to a request for environmental information no later than 20 working days following the date of receipt.

If we require further details to identify and locate the information you have asked for, we will contact you as soon as possible and will respond to your request within 20 working days of receiving that clarification.

If we need more time to respond because of the complexity or volume of the information, we are able to take a further 20 working days to respond. When we need to do this, we will inform you within 20 working days following the receipt of your request.

Exceptions

There are exceptions to the right of access for certain information where there would be adverse consequences from it being released. Should this apply to any or all of the information you have requested, we will tell you which exception(s) have been applied and why.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you have the right to request that we review the decision and, should you remain dissatisfied, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner.

Third party information

As part of our regulatory role, the CAA holds information provided to us by third parties that they may consider as commercially sensitive or confidential. If we are asked to release such information under the FOIA or EIR we will, where possible, consult with the third parties concerned to determine if it is appropriate to release the information.

In addition, some information held by the CAA is protected by statutory bars on disclosure contained in Section 23 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, Section 74 of the Airports Act 1986 and Section 102 and Schedule 9 of the Transport Act 2000.

In either case, if we do withhold information we will tell you which exemption(s) or exception(s) have been applied and why.

Fees and Charges

Although we are able to charge for reasonable costs incurred in responding to a request, such as photocopying and postage, the CAA does not normally charge for providing information under the FOIA or EIR.