Backlog at the Commissioner's office

Backlog at the Commissioner's office

Over 2100 appeals have been referred to the UK Information Commissioner this year, and 1300 of these are still outstanding. This has led campaigners to warn that the delay is encouraging public authorities to withhold information from the public.

According to the BBC, work has not yet begun on 800 of the cases that have been referred to the Commissioner. Some applicants have complained that they have had to wait over six months for their appeals to be considered.

A spokeswoman for the Commissioner's office acknowledged there had been problems but said the backlog is now beginning to clear.

Openness watchdog in case backlog (BBC website, 16 December 2005)