DocMuse is a private, paid service run by The Muse Technology EOOD (Bulgaria). It is not a government website and is not connected with GOV.UK, mygov.scot, nidirect, any courts and tribunals service or any other public body. It is not a law firm and is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland, the Law Society of Northern Ireland or any other legal regulator, so no legal ombudsman or legal complaints body can consider complaints about it; its documents are not legal advice.
Request for an internal review of a freedom of information answer (UK)
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales · in English
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
13 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Fill in the form
Your answers stay on this device for 7 days, or until you clear them.
- Instant download after payment
- Backup link emailed to you
- No account needed
For anyone whose request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 — to a public authority in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or a UK-wide body — was refused in whole or part, answered incompletely or not answered within 20 working days: a request for an internal review, giving your reasons and asking for the outcome within 20 working days, the step before a complaint to the Information Commission (the ICO). Send it by email within 40 working days of the reply. A Scottish public authority’s answer is reviewed under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 instead: use the Scottish requirement for review.
- Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- A council in England or Northern Ireland refused your freedom of information request and cited an exemption.
- Weeks have passed and the public body has still not answered your FOI request.
- You were sent only part of what you asked for, with no explanation.
- You want to challenge the answer before complaining to the ICO in the UK.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Authority or body holding the information
- Address of the authority or body
- The authority's reference for your request (blank if none)
- Date of the request
- Date of the authority's reply (blank if none)
- Why you ask for a review
- Your reasons, in your own words
Common questions
- How long do I have to ask for an internal review?
- The code of practice under section 45 of the Act expects you to ask within 40 working days of the authority’s response, and an authority need not accept a later request. For environmental information the regulations set the same 40 working days. If the authority never replied, ask for a review as soon as the 20 working days have passed. The authority should complete the review within 20 working days, and in complex cases within 40.
- Do I need an internal review before complaining to the ICO?
- Usually yes. The Information Commission normally expects you to have asked for an internal review and received its result, or to have waited a reasonable time without one, before it accepts a complaint under section 50 of the Act. Complain to it within six weeks of the review’s outcome, online through the ICO’s website, with copies of your request, the reply and the review. The ICO’s service is free.
- What reasons should I give in an internal review request?
- Say exactly what you disagree with: the exemption the authority relied on and why you think it does not apply or why the public interest favours release; a part of the request it did not answer; a search that seems too narrow; or a cost estimate that looks too high. Quote its reply where it helps. If it simply has not answered, say so and give the date of your request. Keep it short and factual; the reviewer is usually someone not involved in the first answer.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Freedom of information request to a public authority (UK)
For anyone who wants information held by a council, government department, NHS or HSC body, police force, school or other public authority in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or a UK-wide body, including its offices in Scotland: a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, also covering environmental information, asking for a reply within 20 working days. Many authorities have their own free online form or FOI email address. A Scottish public authority — the Scottish Government, a Scottish council, NHS Scotland or a Scottish school — answers under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 instead: use the Scottish request for it.
- Formal complaint to your council (England)
For a resident unhappy with a council service or decision — bins, potholes, planning enforcement, noise, social care, a school place process or poor handling of an earlier request: a formal complaint under the council’s complaints procedure, saying what happened, what you have done so far and what you want the council to do. Use the council’s online form if it has one. If you are still unhappy after its final reply, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman looks at complaints free of charge.
- Request for a mandatory reconsideration of a DWP decision (Great Britain)
For a claimant in England, Wales or Scotland who disagrees with a DWP decision on Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker's Allowance, another DWP benefit or, in England and Wales, Personal Independence Payment. A written request to look again at the decision, within one month (or up to 13 months with reasons): it says why the decision is wrong, lists new evidence and asks for DWP's evidence and a mandatory reconsideration notice. The journal and DWP's own form are free. Posted first class. Not for Social Security Scotland's benefits, such as Adult Disability Payment: they have a redetermination. Sold blank, as it may hold health data.
- Letter confirming that someone lives at your address (UK)
For a homeowner, tenant or landlord asked to confirm in writing that a person — a partner, grown-up child, relative or lodger — lives at the address, often for a bank account, a phone contract, a school or a GP registration. The UK has no residence certificate, so organisations ask for bills or statements, and some accept a letter like this; ask them first what they accept. The letter states since when the person has lived there and gives your contact details.
- Letter of authority for someone to deal with an organisation for you (UK)
For anyone who wants a relative, friend or carer to speak to their bank, energy or phone company, council or landlord for them: a signed letter naming the person, the accounts or matter, and whether they may only discuss it and receive information or also give instructions. It lets the organisation share your personal data with them, and you can withdraw it at any time. Many organisations have their own free form; use that if they ask.
- Power of attorney for a single matter (England and Wales)
For someone who needs another person to act for them in one matter only — selling a car, signing a contract, dealing with a bank account or a property sale while they are abroad. A deed (Powers of Attorney Act 1971, s 1) that names the matter, what the attorney may sign and when the power ends, signed in front of a witness. If a letter of authority or the organisation’s own free form will do, use that first.