OIA response time statistics
Mark Hanna made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health
The request was partially successful.
From: Mark Hanna
Tēnā koutou,
For the past four years, I have been keeping records of the time it takes for various agencies to respond to requests I’ve made to them under the OIA and LGOIMA via the website fyi.org.nz. I’ve noticed, over this relatively small data set, that response times have fallen into three roughly equal groups:
- Responses received before the due date
- Responses received on the due date (the majority of which are received after 4pm)
- Responses received after the due date
I think this may be indicative of agencies disregarding the requirement that responses to requests must be sent as soon as reasonably practicable. However, this data set is relatively small and restricted to requests made by a single person.
I am interested in accessing more complete datasets to see if my anecdotal observations hold up. I am aware of statistics regarding OIA response times that have been published by the State Services Commission for 2015/16 and for 2016/17, however the closest statistic in these sets is the number or proportion of OIA requests “handled within the legislated timeframe”.
Unfortunately, this measurement obscures the behaviour I am trying to measure. If I applied the same measurement to my smaller data set, I would find that 69% of requests were handled within the legislated timeframe. However, that statistic does not reflect that fact that 45% of those requests only received a response on the last allowable day.
Please release the following information, from 1 July 2017 to 30 December 2017, broken down by request:
1. The date on which the request was received.
2. The date on which the request was answered.
2a. If the request was answered on the last allowable day, the time at which the request was answered
3. Whether or not the request was extended under section 15A of the OIA.
3a. If the request was extended, the date on which notice of the extension was sent to the requester.
3b. If the notice of extension was sent to the requester on the last allowable day, the time at which the notice of extension was sent to the requester.
3c. If the request was extended, the duration of the extension.
4. The outcome of the request (e.g. all information released, transferred to another agency).
Please provide all information in an accessible, searchable format. A spreadsheet format, such as CSV or XLSX, is preferable for tabular data.
Please also explain any relevant caveats that should be kept in mind when analysing this information, including the licence under which it is released.
If any part of my request is unclear, please don't hesitate to contact me.
If any of the information that I have requested is unavailable or would be difficult to retrieve, but similar information might be readily available, I would be happy to discuss altering or refining my request.
I am aware that the time at which responses and notifications of extensions were sent may not be recorded centrally and may be difficult or impossible to retrieve. If extracting this information is likely to require this request to be refused under section 18(f) of the OIA, please let me know, as in that case I would likely be happy to refine my request based on what information could be provided.
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
Ministry of Health
Dear Mr Hanna
Thank you for your request for official information, received by the
Ministry of Health on 17 April 2018. The Ministry's reference number for
your request is: H201802830
You requested:
From 1 July 2017 to 30 December 2017, broken down by [Official Information
Act] request:
1. The date on which the request was received.
2. The date on which the request was answered.
2a. If the request was answered on the last allowable day,
the time at which the request was answered
3. Whether or not the request was extended under section 15A of the OIA.
3a. If the request was extended, the date on which notice of the extension
was sent to the requester.
3b. If the notice of extension was sent to the requester on the last
allowable day, the time at which the notice of extension was sent to the
requester.
3c. If the request was extended, the duration of the extension.
4. The outcome of the request (e.g. all information released, transferred
to another agency).
Your request has been logged and you can expect a reply no later than 16
May 2018 as required under the Official Information Act 1982.
Please note that a working day is defined in the Act as ‘any day of the
week other than a Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day,
Labour Day, the Sovereigns birthday, Waitangi Day and a day in the period
commencing 25 December in any year and ending 15 January in the following
year.
If a large amount of information has been requested or if the Ministry
needs to consult in order to make a decision, we may need to extend this
date (this is provided for in section 15A of the Act). We will advise you
if such an extension is necessary.
Yours sincerely,
Greg Smith
Senior Advisor
[Ministry of Health request email]
Ministerial Services l Government Services l Office of the Director
General
[1]http://www.health.govt.nz
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Ministry of Health
Dear Mr Hanna
Please find attached a letter in response to your recent request for
official information.
Kind regards
Ministerial Services (OIA)
[Ministry of Health request email]
Government Services
Office of the Director-General
Ministry of Health
[1]www.health.govt.nz
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References
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Ministry of Health
OIA Response H201802830 15 June 2018.pdf
440K
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View as HTML
OIA Data for Req H201802830.xlsx
17K
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View as HTML
Dear Mark
Please find attached our letter in reply to your OIA request along with
spreadsheet of data.
Kind regards
Nick Allan
Manager, OIA Services
[Ministry of Health request email]
Government Services
Office of the Director-General
Ministry of Health
[1]www.health.govt.nz
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Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
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