Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am writing to request information regarding Subject Access Requests (SARs) received by your Council.
For ease of response, I have structured this request into clearly defined questions with simple response formats. Where exact figures are unavailable, informed estimates are acceptable.
Section 1: SAR Volume
Please provide the total number of Subject Access Requests received:
Financial Year | Number of SARs Received
2022/23 (April 2022 - March 2023) |
2023/24 (April 2023 - March 2024) |
2024/25 (April 2024 - March 2025) |
Section 2: Processing Time and Staff Costs
What is the estimated average number of staff hours spent processing each SAR (including searching, collation, review, and redaction)?
Average hours per SAR?
Which salary band best represents the staff primarily responsible for processing SARs?
(Select one)
☐ Under £30,000 per annum
☐ £30,000 - £40,000 per annum
☐ £40,000 - £50,000 per annum
☐ £50,000 - £65,000 per annum
☐ Over £65,000 per annum
☐ Mixed/varies significantly across departments
Approximately how many FTE (full-time equivalent) staff are dedicated to SAR processing?
Estimated FTE for SAR processing =
Section 3: External Costs
Please provide the total expenditure on external SAR support (e.g., solicitors, consultants, redaction services). Costs can be approximate however must be indicated as such:
Financial Year | External Spend (£)
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
If no external services were used, please state "Nil".
Section 4: Compliance and Timeliness
Please provide the following compliance data:
Financial Year | Completed Within 30 Days | Required Extension | Total SARs
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
How many SARs are currently open or overdue?
Current backlog (open/overdue) =
Section 5: Complaints and Quality
Please provide the following quality indicators:
Financial Year | ICO Complaints | SARs Requiring Re-work
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
If none, please state "Nil".
Has the ICO taken any enforcement action regarding SAR handling in the past three years?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Section 6: Current Tools and Methods
What software or tools are currently used to manage and process SARs?
(Select all that apply)
☐ Spreadsheet (e.g., Excel, Google Sheets)
☐ General case management system
☐ Specialist SAR/DSAR software. Name of software _______________
☐ Social Care Case Management System (e.g., Liquid Logic, Mosaic)
☐ Document Management System (e.g., SharePoint, OpenText)
☐ Email/manual process only
☐ Other (please specify): _______________
Is any element of your SAR process currently automated?
(Select all that apply)
☐ Automated searching across systems
☐ Automated redaction
☐ Automated tracking and deadline alerts
☐ Automated response/correspondence generation
☐ No automation currently in place
Section 7: SAR Processing Responsibility
Which role(s) or department(s) are primarily responsible for processing SARs?
(Select all that apply)
☐ Information Governance Team
☐ Data Protection Officer / DPO
☐ Legal Services
☐ HR / People Services
☐ Children's Services
☐ Adult Social Care
☐ Individual service departments (for records within their area)
☐ External provider
☐ Other (please specify): _______________
Name the top 3 departments to which SARs were aimed.
Section 8: Complexity Indicators
On average, how many separate systems are searched per SAR?
(Select one)
☐ 1-2
☐ 3-5
☐ 6-10
☐ More than 10
On average, how many pages are reviewed per SAR?
(Select one)
☐ Under 50
☐ 50-200
☐ 201-500
☐ 501-1,000
☐ Over 1,000
☐ Unknown
How many SARs required consultation with third parties (e.g., NHS, schools, police, external agencies)?
Financial Year | Third Party Consultations
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
