What it costs

The Act makes provision for a fee to be charged for the information, but the majority of requests are expected to be handled without any charge.

If it will cost more than £600 for the DfT to respond to a FoI request, then we need not comply with it. The cost limit covers the time taken to find, sort, edit or redact material (calculated at £25 per hour). It does not cover the time taken to consider whether exemptions apply. Complying with requests that will cost more than £600 is discretionary.

For requests where the costs are less than the £600 ceiling we will not charge a fee, but may charge the full costs of disbursements (photocopying, printing and postage).

If the request will be subject to a charge we will inform you, and we do not have to provide the information if you fail to pay within three months.