This page sets out statistics showing the number of Freedom of Information requests we've received and how we have responded.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and responses
The Financial Ombudsman Service has been subject to the Freedom of Information Act since November 2011. Our publication scheme provides a guide to the information that's available without the need to make a specific written request. We also publish statistical information about the requests we handle and how we respond.
We take our commitment to the Freedom of Information Act incredibly seriously. We have implemented an action plan to improve our timeliness (PDF 148KB) and we are committed to working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). We will keep them regularly updated on the progress we are making.
The following table shows the number of requests we've handled and how we responded. We add information and update the table each quarter.
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Statistics for 2024/25 |
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Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
Total |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Overview |
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Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to |
127 |
127 | |||
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Percentage of FOIs responded to on time |
89% |
89% |
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Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline |
11% | ||||
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Percentage of requests which remain outstanding |
0% | 0% | |||
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|
|
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How we responded |
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Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held |
13% | 13% | |||
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Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full |
27% | 27% | |||
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Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part |
9% | 9% | |||
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Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused |
49% | 49% | |||
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Percentage if requests that were withdrawn or cancelled |
2% | 2% | |||
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Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused |
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| Section 12 – cost exemption | 38 | 38 | |||
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Section 40(1) – own personal data |
20 | 20 | |||
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Section 40(2) – personal data of others |
11 | 11 | |||
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Other exemptions |
17 | 17 | |||
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Review |
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Number of internal reviews |
15 | 15 | |||
Applying exemptions
We aim to be as open and transparent as possible about the work we do, but there are times where it isn’t appropriate for us to share the information, we hold in response to a Freedom of Information request. Where this is the case, we may apply an exemption. The Freedom of Information Act contains exemptions that allow organisations to withhold information from a requester. In some cases, it allows organisations to refuse to confirm or deny whether they hold information.
In some circumstances, we will apply an exemption to part of a request or sometimes we may apply an exemption to the whole of a request. Sometimes we apply more than one exemption to a single request. You can read more about exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act on the Information Commissioner’s website.
About the exemptions in 2024/25
The most common exemptions applied was section 12, 40(1) and 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Applying Section 12 means that we can’t provide the information because the time taken to find, locate or retrieve the information is likely to exceed the appropriate limit set out in the legislation, which for us is 18 hours.
Whenever we apply this exemption, we always try to provide the requester with information that they may find helpful, as we already publish a lot of detail about what we do. For example, information on our website about our approach to the different types of complaints we see, or our database of ombudsman decisions where they can search for specific decisions we’ve published in relation to their area of interest.
Applying section 40(1) means that an individual asked for a copy of their own personal data under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 rather than under data protection legislation. Whilst we refused these requests in full under the Freedom of Information Act, we did then process their request in line with our data protection obligations, either by processing a subject access request (SAR), or sharing the information informally under the principles of “natural justice”.
Applying section 40(2) means that an individual has asked for a copy of the personal data of a third party under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We can only apply this exemption where the disclosure satisfies one of three conditions. Typically, we apply this exemption as disclosure of third-party data would contravene one or more of the data protection principles as set out in Article 5(1) of UK GDPR, and Section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Statistics from previous years
-
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Total
Overview
Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to
118
100 77 126 421 Percentage of FOIs responded to on time
96% 81% 39% 71% 75%
Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline
4% 13% 12% 16% 21% Percentage of requests which remain outstanding
0% 6% 49% 13% 4% How we responded
Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held
16% 2% 3% 16% 12% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full
29% 35% 47% 26% 33% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part
10% 11% 9% 8% 12% Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused
45% 50% 41% 49% 42% Percentage if requests that were withdrawn or cancelled
0% 2% 0% <1% <1% Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused
Section 40(1) – own personal data
19 21 16 21 77 Section 40(2) – personal data of others
10 14 3 10 37 Section 12 – cost exemption
17 15 3 25 60 Other exemptions
34 7 1 8 50 Review
Number of internal reviews
27 8 5 17 57 -
Statistics for 2022/23
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Total
Overview
Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to
101
98 95 149 443 Percentage of FOIs responded to on time
29% 61% 88% 92% 68% Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline
47% 22% 8% 6% 21% Percentage of requests which remain outstanding
24% 17% 4% 2% 11% How we responded
Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held
8% 13% 12% 8% 10% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full
15% 23% 40% 38% 29% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part
22% 32% 19% 15% 22% Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused
55% 32% 29% 39% 39% Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused
Section 40(1) – own personal data
19 23 16 13 71 Section 40(2) – personal data of others
1 6 7 11 25 Section 12 – cost exemption
26 5 11 26 68 Other exemptions
7 23 11 32 73 Review
Number of internal reviews
14 18 17 22 71 -
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2021/22 total
Overview
Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to
104
97 98 92 391 Percentage of FOIs responded to on time
72% 61% 64% 60% 64% Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline
28% 29% 16% 21% 24% Percentage of requests which remain outstanding
0% 10% 19% 20% 12% How we responded
Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held
7% 10% 9% 4% 8% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full
32% 39% 35% 29% 34% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part
15% 16% 8% 3% 11% Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused
46% 28% 3% 16% 23% Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused
Section 40(1) – own personal data
13 13 8 9 43 Section 40(2) – personal data of others
6 6 13 5 30 Section 12 – cost exemption
23 5 22 15 65 Other exemptions
12 13 9 22 56 Review
Number of internal reviews
3 9 10 10 32 -
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
2020/21 total
Overview
Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to
88
141 123 103 455 Percentage of FOIs responded to on time
74% 89% 89% 92% 86% Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline
26% 11% 11% 8% 14% Percentage of requests which remain outstanding
0% 0% 0% 0% 0% How we responded
Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held
8% 6% 10% 10% 9% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full
44% 37% 28% 35% 36% Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part
13% 6% 19% 11% 12% Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused
35% 51% 43% 45% 43% Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused
Section 40(1) – own personal data
17 14 32 24 87 Section 40(2) – personal data of others
9 12 6 6 33 Section 12 – cost exemption
8 16 29 22 75 Other exemptions
13 73 8 7 101 Review
Number of internal reviews
7 8 6 6 27 About the exemptions in 2020/21
The most common exemption applied was section 8 and 14 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Applying section 8 means a request is not valid, because the requestor didn't give us a valid address to respond to, didn't use their real name or doesn't describe the information requested. Individuals can only ask for information held in a recorded format, not for opinion or commentary. Applying section 14 means the request is considered vexatious or is a repeated request. These exemptions were applied to one individual who made multiple requests and was not using the Act for the purpose it was intended.
The second most common exemption applied over the year was section 40 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This means that an individual asked for a copy of their own personal data under the Freedom of Information Act, we did then process their request in line with our data protection obligations.
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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2019/20 total Overview
Number of FOI requests which were due to be responded to
107
109
122
117
455
Percentage of FOIs responded to on time
65%
72%
57%
82%
69%
Percentage of FOIs responded to after the deadline
35%
28%
43%
18%
31%
Percentage of requests which remain outstanding
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
How we responded
Percentage of requests where the information wasn't held
7%
5%
4%
3%
5%
Percentage of requests where the information was provided in full
43%
40%
31%
34%
37%
Percentage of requests where the information was provided in part
20%
21%
17%
25%
21%
Percentage of requests where the information requested was refused
30%
34%
48%
38%
37%
Number of times we applied the following exemptions to requests we responded to in part or where the information was refused
Section 40(1) – own personal data
22
18
20
11
71%
Section 8 or 14 – not a valid request or vexatious
3
11
65
23
102
Section 12 – cost exemption
17
20
9
24
70
Other exemptions
49
27
14
28
118
Review
Number of internal reviews
6
4
36
25
71
About the exemptions in 2019/20
We always try to help as much as we can and be open and transparent about the work we do, but, it isn't always appropriate to share the information we hold to the public at large. Where this is the case we may apply an exemption. Sometimes we may apply an exemption to part of a request or sometimes we may apply an exemption to the whole of the request.
The most common exemption applied overall in 2019/20 was section 8 and 14 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Applying section 8 means a request is not valid, because the requestor didn't give us a valid address to respond to, didn't use their real name or doesn't describe the information requested. Individuals can only ask for information held in a recorded format, not for opinion or commentary. Applying section 14 means the request is considered vexatious or is a repeated request. This exemption was applied to one individual who made multiple request and was not using the Act for the purpose it was intended.
The second most common exemption applied over the year was section 40(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This means that an individual asked for a copy of their own personal data under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 rather than under data protection legislation. Whilst we refuse these requests in full under the Freedom of Information Act, we did then process their request in line with our data protection obligations.
