Information requests
A guide to freedom of information and environmental information requests. Details on your right of access to information, how to request, and what to include.
Your right of access to information
We operate under two pieces of legislation that give you the right of access to information we hold. These are the:
- Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOI)
- Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIR)
We receive hundreds of information requests every year and aim to provide a high level of service to all enquirers.
Our published data
We strive to be open and transparent and publish a large amount of data online. You may find the information you need is already available, and a request for it is not needed. This information is in our Publication Scheme and Guide to Information.
When requesting information
If you are unable to find what you need from our published data, you can request any information we hold. This is regardless of who you are, where you live or what you want the information for.
We are able to provide information as long as:
- we hold the information, or someone else holds it on our behalf
- no exemptions apply
- locating and supplying the information would not exceed the maximum amount allowed by the Fees Regulations
In order for the request to be valid, it must:
- be in writing or some other permanent form such as e-mail or a recorded message
- state the applicant's full name
- include an address for correspondence (e.g. postal or email address)
- describe what information is required
In any request, try to be as specific as possible about the information you want.
You do not need to tell us why you want it.
The Scottish Information Commissioner has further advice for making a request for information.
Making a request for information
You can contact us about Freedom of Information or EI queries by email, post, phone, or our online form.
Post
Freedom of Information/Data Protection TeamScottish Fire and Rescue Service Westburn DriveCambuslang G72 7NA
Phone
0141 646 4500
Office hours are Monday to Thursday, 8.45am to 4.45pm, and Friday, 8.45am to 3.30pm
After you have submitted your request
Once your enquiry has been received, we will send you written acknowledgement and a unique reference number. This number should be quoted in any correspondence relating to your request.
Our response
We must respond to your request within 20 working days. If your request is about environmental information, we are allowed to take up to 40 working days to respond.
Requests for information need to be reasonable for an us to complete within the 20 working days given within the legislation.
Frequently asked questions
You have a right to see information we hold about yourself by submitting a Subject Access Request. These types of requests come under the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you wish to make a Subject Access Request, please visit our Data Protection page for further information.
Most enquiries are free of charge. Charges may apply for providing unpublished information in response to a request.
We are pleased to provide advice and assistance to help you frame your request to reduce the possibility of charges.
If we need to make a charge, we will contact you before work on your request commences and advise you of this.
We have grouped our charges into the following:
£100 or less
Where it would cost us £100 or less to provide the information to you, we will not impose a charge.
£100 and £600
If it costs us between £100 and £600 to provide the information, we may ask you to pay 10% of that part of the cost.
The first £100 is free, then we may charge 10% of the cost between £100 and £400. An example of this would be, if it costs us £400 then we may charge up to £30.
More than £600
Where it would cost more than £600 to provide information to you, we may ask you to pay the costs as set out above up to £600 and the remaining costs over £600 in full.
While we want to be as open as possible the legislation allows, and sometimes requires, us to withhold some types of information. This can include:
- personal information
- information that is about to be published
- information that is commercially confidential or that relates to national security
If exemptions apply, we'll look to share information where public interest overrides the exemption. We will always explain our reasons if we withhold information.
Every request for information is formally logged as:
- Stage 1: Request for information
- Stage 2: Formal review
- Stage 3: Appeal for decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner (OSIC)
Once your request has been received, we will respond with the requested information. Where this is not possible, you will receive an explanation regarding any withheld information.
If you are not happy with the response, or have not had a response, you have the right to request a formal review from SFRS. Every internal formal review will be
- fair
- reasonable
- transparent
- proportionate
- clear terms of reference
If you do not agree with the findings of our internal review, you can appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner. They are responsible for enforcing Scotland's freedom of information laws.