# Freedom of Information Request Log: [Public body name]

> A log for tracking requests for information made to a public body
> under a freedom of information (FOI) or access to documents law: each
> request, its statutory clock, clarifications and pauses, exemptions
> considered, the response, internal reviews and appeals. The structure
> is neutral, with dated rules from three regimes as examples: the UK
> Freedom of Information Act 2000 section 10 (with ICO guidance updated
> 7 January 2026), the US Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C.
> 552(a)(6), and EU Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 Articles 7 and 8.
> Replace every `[bracketed]` value and every row marked *Example*. This
> is a documentation format, not legal advice: check the current law and
> your regulator's guidance, and ask your legal adviser on exemptions.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Log every request on the day it arrives, whoever receives it. Under
  most regimes the clock runs from receipt by the body, not by the FOI
  team, and a request does not need to mention the law to be valid.
- Calculate the due date with the counting rule of your regime and
  record it. Bank holidays differ by region and regime; one missed
  holiday is enough to report a late answer as on time.
- Record the reason for every exemption, the harm or public interest
  test where one applies, and who decided. The log is your evidence if
  the requester complains to the regulator or a court.
- Keep personal data of requesters to what you need to respond, and set
  a retention period.
- The worked example follows a fictional body, the Harrowmere Regional
  Authority, under each regime. Every row marked *Example* is invented.
- Related documents: Data Subject Request Procedure
  (`compliance/data-subject-request-procedure`), Records Retention
  Schedule (`compliance/iso-15489-records-schedule`), Legal Register
  (`compliance/legal-register`), Policy Brief (`public-sector/policy-brief`).
-->

## Log control

<!-- Guidance: Name the regime, the owner and where the full case files live. The log is a summary; the request, correspondence and redacted documents stay in the case file. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Log ID | [FOI-LOG-2026] |
| Public body | [Name] |
| Regime | [UK FOIA 2000 / US FOIA / EU Regulation 1049/2001 / National law] |
| Owner | [@foi-officer] |
| Approvers/reviewers | [@information-governance-lead], [@legal] |
| Case file location | [System] |
| Retention of log entries | [Period and reason] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |

## 1. Clock rules for this body

<!-- Guidance: Write the counting rule once here and apply it to every entry. Include the holiday calendar you use and whether pauses stop or reset the clock. -->

| Rule | UK FOIA 2000 | US FOIA 5 U.S.C. 552 | EU Regulation 1049/2001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial response | Promptly and no later than the 20th working day following receipt (s.10(1)) | Determination within 20 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal public holidays, after receipt ((a)(6)(A)(i)) | Within 15 working days from registration (Art. 7(1)) |
| Working day | ICO: excludes weekends, Christmas Day, Good Friday and any bank holiday in any part of the UK | Federal legal public holidays excluded | Institution's working days |
| Pauses | Clarification needed to identify the information restarts the clock from receipt of the clarification (s.1(3)); fees notice pauses it until payment (s.10(2)) | One request for information from the requester, or clarification of fees, tolls the period ((a)(6)(A)(ii)) | Not stated in Art. 7; check the institution's rules |
| Extension | Reasonable extra time to consider the public interest for qualified exemptions (s.10(3)); ICO and the s.45 Code of Practice: usually no more than 20 further working days | Unusual circumstances: written notice, generally no more than 10 working days ((a)(6)(B)(i)) | Exceptional cases: 15 further working days with advance notice and reasons (Art. 7(3)) |
| Review stage | Internal review: Code of Practice (2018) target 20 working days, usually no more than 20 more; requests accepted within 40 working days of the response | Appeal decided within 20 days; requester has at least 90 days to appeal | Confirmatory application within 15 working days of the reply; decided within 15 working days, extendable by 15 (Art. 7(2), Art. 8) |
| Next step | Complaint to the Information Commissioner (s.50) | Court review; FOIA Public Liaison and OGIS mediation | Court proceedings or complaint to the European Ombudsman |

## 2. Request log

<!-- Guidance: One row per request. Use the reference in all correspondence. Keep the requester's name out of reports shared beyond the FOI team. -->

| Ref | Received | Channel | Requester type | Summary of request | Clarification sought / received | Clock pauses | Due date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOI-2026-0412 *(Example, UK)* | 2026-11-02 | Email | Journalist | Contracts for road gritting 2024 to 2026 | None | None | 2026-12-01 | Responded 2026-11-24 |
| FOI-2026-0413 *(Example, US)* | 2026-11-02 | Portal | Individual | Inspection reports for a named facility | None | None | 2026-12-02 (2026-12-16 with unusual circumstances notice) | Extension sent 2026-11-20 |
| FOI-2026-0414 *(Example, EU)* | 2026-11-02 (registered) | Email | NGO | Minutes of an expert group | None | None | 2026-11-23 | Responded 2026-11-19 |
| [Ref] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Channel] | [Type] | [Summary] | [Dates] | [Dates] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Open / Responded / Late / Withdrawn] |

How the example dates were computed:

- UK: day 1 is 2026-11-03, the first working day after receipt. Counting
  20 working days and excluding St Andrew's Day (30 November 2026, a bank
  holiday in Scotland, so excluded under the ICO rule for any part of
  the UK) gives 2026-12-01. Ignoring it would wrongly give 2026-11-30.
  A public interest extension of 20 further working days, excluding 25
  and 28 December 2026, would run to 2026-12-31.
- US: 20 days excluding weekends and the federal holidays of 11 November
  (Veterans Day) and 26 November 2026 (Thanksgiving) gives 2026-12-02;
  10 further working days gives 2026-12-16.
- EU: 15 working days from registration, counting weekdays only, gives
  2026-11-23. Add the institution's own holidays where they fall in the
  period.

## 3. Exemptions and outcome

<!-- Guidance: Record each exemption with the specific harm, the public interest arguments on both sides where a test applies, and who approved. "Commercially sensitive" without a stated harm will not survive review. -->

| Ref | Outcome | Exemptions or exceptions applied | Harm or public interest reasoning | Decided by | Information released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FOI-2026-0412 *(Example, UK)* | Partly released | s.43(2) commercial interests for unit rates; s.40(2) personal information for staff names below senior level | Unit rates in a live retender would prejudice the authority's position; public interest in disclosure of totals met by releasing contract values | [@name] | Contract values, terms, redacted schedule |
| FOI-2026-0413 *(Example, US)* | Pending | (b)(4) under review for supplier data; (b)(6) for personal details | [Reasoning] | [@name] | [Pending] |
| [Ref] | [Released / Partly released / Refused / Not held / Cost limit / Vexatious] | [Provision] | [Reasoning] | [@name] | [Summary] |

Reference lists: UK FOIA Part II exemptions and section 12 (cost limit:
£600 for central government and £450 for other bodies at £25 per hour,
as described in the 2018 Code of Practice) and section 14 (vexatious or
repeated requests); US FOIA exemptions (b)(1) to (b)(9); EU Regulation
1049/2001 Article 4 exceptions.

## 4. Reviews, appeals and complaints

<!-- Guidance: Track every review and its outcome. A pattern of overturned decisions is a signal to retrain or revisit guidance. -->

| Ref | Review requested | Review due | Outcome | Regulator or court case | Lessons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Ref] | YYYY-MM-DD | YYYY-MM-DD | [Upheld / Overturned / Partly overturned] | [Reference] | [Lesson] |

## 5. Performance summary

<!-- Guidance: Report monthly or quarterly. Count on-time responses against the statutory deadline, not against an internal target. -->

| Period | Requests received | Responded on time | Late | Extensions used | Reviews | Overturned at review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Quarter] | [n] | [n (%)] | [n] | [n] | [n] | [n] |

## References

<!-- Guidance: Link the current official texts and your regulator's guidance with dates. Laws and guidance change; recheck at least yearly. -->

| Reference | Date checked | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 10 | 2026-10-30 | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/36/section/10 |
| ICO guidance: time limits for compliance (section 10) | Updated 2026-01-07 | https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/time-limits-for-compliance-under-the-freedom-of-information-act-section-10/ |
| Freedom of Information Code of Practice (section 45) | July 2018 | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice |
| 5 U.S.C. 552 | 2026-10-30 | https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title5-section552 |
| Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 on public access to documents | OJ L 145, 31.5.2001 | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2001/1049/oj |

## Standard and licence note

Based on the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000, the ICO guidance on
section 10 and the section 45 Code of Practice (2018), the US Freedom of
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, all
public law and official guidance, paraphrased in original wording.
Environmental information may fall under separate rules (for example
the UK Environmental Information Regulations 2004). Check the current
texts and take legal advice before applying an exemption. This is not
legal advice.

Template licence: MIT.