Incident Management  /  Information Requests

Information request management, handled with confidence

Information request management made simple. Log every Freedom of Information (FOI) and EIR request in one place. Track the 20 working day clock and record exemptions and public interest decisions. Send a consistent response, with the evidence to prove it. Built by data protection consultants who work with public sector and charity teams every day.

Hand-drawn illustration of information request management: a records drawer with a magnifying glass over an FOI document

Why information requests matter

Anyone can ask what your organisation knows, decides and spends. Requests under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations can arrive through any channel. They can come from any member of the public. The clock starts straight away.

Handled well, a request shows an open, accountable organisation. Handled badly, it becomes a late response, an internal review, an ICO complaint or a news story. ProvePrivacy keeps every request, decision and deadline in one place.

Read: FOI and data protection, balancing transparency with privacy →

STEP 1

Log

Capture FOI and EIR requests in one central record, with the response deadline tracked from day one.

STEP 2

Gather and assess

Assign searches to colleagues, collect what is held and assess it, with every step recorded.

STEP 3

Respond

Apply exemptions or exceptions, redact, and send a consistent, defensible response on time.

Everything you need for information request management

Information request management is available in ProvePrivacy Lite from £4,000 a year (three year minimum term) and in the full ProvePrivacy platform. Unlimited users, no per-user fees and live in one day.

One place for every request

Log FOI and EIR requests, from any channel, in a single record.

Never miss a deadline

Track the 20 working day statutory clock, with bank holiday awareness, and see what is due before it becomes late.

Guided search and review

Assign searches to the right teams and keep the review on schedule.

Exemptions applied consistently

A built-in exemptions assessment framework records which exemptions or exceptions apply, and why, so every response is defensible.

Redaction and audit trail

AI-based redaction is included as standard for every client. Every decision is logged, ready for an internal review or ICO enquiry.

Dashboards for your DPO and board

Live MI dashboards show volumes, processing times, exemptions and timeliness. On the full platform, link findings to your risk register.

KNOWLEDGEZONE

Learn more about information requests

Guides, articles, videos and templates from our data protection consultants. Use them whether you are answering your first FOI request or handling hundreds a year. View all resources →

FEATURED GUIDE · FREE

ProvePrivacy Lite: affordable DSAR and FOI software guide

See how DSAR redaction and FOI case management come together in one affordable platform, what is included and what it costs.

ARTICLE

Freedom of Information and data protection: balancing transparency with privacy

When personal data can be released under FOI, and when it cannot.

Read article →

VIDEO

Coming Soon: FOI request walkthrough, from logging to response

See a request handled in ProvePrivacy from first log to final response.

Watch video → [link TBC]

TEMPLATE

Coming Soon: FOI response letter templates

Ready-to-use acknowledgement, clarification, disclosure and refusal wording.

Download templates → [link TBC]

ARTICLE

Root cause analysis: stop repeat risks across breach, DSAR and FOI

Turn individual requests into findings that prevent the next one.

Read article →

GUIDE

Information assets: the foundation of data protection compliance

Know what you hold and where, so searching for a request takes hours, not weeks.

Read guide →

VIDEO

Coming Soon: FOI or EIR? Choosing the right regime in three minutes

A quick answer for busy colleagues, from the ProvePrivacy YouTube channel.

Watch video → [link TBC]

GUIDE

Complaint management guide for DPOs

What to do when a response is challenged and turns into a complaint.

Read guide →

ARTICLE

The ProvePrivacy redaction tool: fast and proven

How AI-assisted highlighting speeds up redaction for FOI and DSARs alike.

Read article →

Quick answers from the help centre:  Browse all help topics  |  [FOI help topic TBC]

GUIDE SERIES · COMING SOON

The FOI and EIR exemptions guides

Not everything has to be released. Our series walks through the most used exemptions and exceptions in plain English. Your team will know when one applies and how to record the decision.

  • Personal information
  • Prejudice to public affairs
  • Commercial interests
  • Information provided in confidence
  • Legal professional privilege
  • Cost limits and vexatious requests
  • Environmental information exceptions
  • Applying the public interest test

INCLUDED FOR EVERY CLIENT

Redaction in minutes, not days

Manual redaction is slow and easy to get wrong. AI-assisted highlighting finds the personal data for you to review. A full audit trail shows exactly what was redacted and why.

Build confidence across your team

Any colleague can receive an information request. Pair the platform with training and expert support so everyone knows what to do.

E-learning

Short courses and tutorial videos, so frontline colleagues can spot and escalate a request, with CPD records for completed training. Part of the full platform.

Explore e-learning →

Data Champion course

Equip the colleagues who search for and review information with the skills to do it well.

View the course →

DPO consultancy

A complex or contentious request? Our consultants can review your response before it goes out.

Talk to a consultant →

What our clients say

Protect your personal data today

See how ProvePrivacy takes the pain out of information request management, from the first request to the final response. Start with ProvePrivacy Lite and upgrade to the full platform when you are ready.

Information request management: your questions answered

What is information request management?

How long do we have to respond to an FOI or EIR request?

What is the difference between FOI and EIR requests?

Can we redact personal data before releasing information?

Do we need the full platform to manage FOI requests?

Information request management is the process of logging, searching for, assessing and answering requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. ProvePrivacy keeps every request, exemption and deadline in one record, as part of our Incident Management module.

Most public authorities must respond within 20 working days of receiving a valid request. For complex or voluminous EIR requests the deadline can be extended to 40 working days. ProvePrivacy tracks the statutory clock for you and shows what is due before it becomes late. The Information Commissioner’s Office publishes full guidance on its website.

The Freedom of Information Act covers most recorded information held by a public authority, and uses exemptions to withhold it. The Environmental Information Regulations cover environmental information, such as land use, emissions and planning, and use exceptions instead. A single request can fall under either regime, so ProvePrivacy lets you record which one applies and why.

Yes. Personal data about other people often has to be withheld or redacted before a response is sent. AI-assisted redaction is included for every ProvePrivacy client: it highlights the personal data for you to review, and a full audit trail records what was redacted and why. The same tool supports data subject rights requests.

No. ProvePrivacy Lite covers FOI and DSAR case management, built-in redaction and MI dashboards from £4,000 a year, with unlimited users and a one day setup. If you later need RoPA, risk, DPIA or data breach management, you can upgrade to the full platform without changing vendor.

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