How to use Freedom of Information requests to check a claim
A Freedom of Information request asks a public authority for recorded information it holds. Before asking, check whether the answer is already in official statistics or a published FOI response. If it is not, write a narrow, specific request; the authority should normally reply within 20 working days, and can refuse if finding the information would cost more than the legal limit.
When FOI is the right tool
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives anyone the right to ask a public authority whether it holds recorded information and, subject to exemptions, to receive it. Scotland has its own law, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 . Environmental information is handled under separate Environmental Information Regulations, but GOV.UK notes you do not need to say which law you are using.
FOI suits fact-checking when a claim depends on a number an authority holds but has not published: a local breakdown, a monthly count, an internal target, or the source behind a figure in a press release. It does not create new analysis: authorities supply information they hold, not opinions or calculations they have never done.
Sources: Freedom of Information Act 2000, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Step 1: check it is not already published
GOV.UK advises checking first whether the organisation has already published the information or answered an earlier request (a "disclosure log"). Three places to look:
Official statistics on the subject, which are usually more complete and better documented than an FOI answer. Our source guides, such as Home Office statistics or NHS England statistics , list the main releases.
The GOV.UK finder for transparency and freedom of information releases , which you can filter by organisation and date.
The authority's own disclosure log page. The ONS, for example, publishes its FOI responses .
Under section 21 of the Act, an authority can refuse information that is already reasonably accessible to you, so a request for published data usually just returns a link.
Sources: transparency and freedom of information releases, FOI responses, section 21
Step 2: write a precise request
GOV.UK's guidance says a request must be in writing (letter, email, social media or an online form) and should give your name, a contact address and a detailed description of the information you want. In practice:
ask for recorded information, for example "the number of X recorded each month from April 2024 to March 2026", not "why did X happen";
set a date range and a geography;
ask for the data in a format you can use, such as a spreadsheet;
ask for the definitions or notes that go with the figures, so you know what is counted;
keep it to one subject per request.
Source: GOV.UK's guidance
Example wording for a request
A request that is narrow and specific is quicker to answer and less likely to exceed the cost limit. A pattern that works for many fact checks:
"Please provide, for each month from April 2024 to March 2026, the number of [items] recorded by [organisation] in [area]. Please provide the figures in a spreadsheet, together with any definitions or notes explaining what is counted. If this request would exceed the cost limit, please tell me how it could be narrowed."
The last sentence asks the authority to offer advice on narrowing the request, which ICO guidance for organisations covers under the duty to provide advice and assistance. Keep a copy of the request and note the date you sent it, because the 20-working-day clock runs from the day the authority receives it.
Source: ICO guidance for organisations
Step 3: deadlines, costs and refusals
Time: the authority should reply within 20 working days of receiving the request ( section 10 ). GOV.UK notes some schools get longer during holidays, and in Scotland you should allow six extra days for a request sent by post.
Cost: most requests are free. Under section 12 an authority can refuse if finding the information would cost more than the appropriate limit, which GOV.UK gives as £600 for government departments, Parliament and the armed forces (and some others) and £450 for other bodies.
Exemptions: if information is withheld, the authority must say which exemption applies and why.
Challenging a refusal: first ask the authority for an internal review. If still dissatisfied, complain to the Information Commissioner's Office , or for Scottish authorities to the Scottish Information Commissioner . The ICO publishes its decision notices , which show how similar requests were treated.
Sources: section 10, section 12, Information Commissioner's Office, Scottish Information Commissioner, decision notices
Worked example: what the official FOI statistics show
The Cabinet Office publishes official statistics on how central government handles FOI requests. On 13 October 2026 we opened Freedom of Information statistics: annual 2025 , published on 29 April 2026. Its bulletin reports, for the bodies it monitors:
"In 2025 there were 94,526 FOI requests received across all monitored bodies", an increase of 11,485 (14%) on 2024;
"87% of requests were responded to in time, up from 76% in 2024";
of the 62,515 resolvable requests, 36% were granted in full and 35% withheld in full;
of the 34,807 requests withheld in full or in part, 26.6% were withheld because the cost of responding exceeded the limit.
Two practical points follow. First, the cost limit is a common reason for refusal, so narrow requests (one year, one area, one measure) are more likely to be answered. Second, these figures cover monitored central government bodies only, not councils, police forces or NHS trusts, so they cannot be used as a picture of every public authority. The bulletin also notes a large rise in requests to The National Archives linked to the transfer of historic service records.
Source: Freedom of Information statistics: annual 2025
Step 4: use the answer carefully
An FOI response is the authority's own recorded information, released to one requester. It has not usually been through the quality checks of an official statistics release. When you use it, quote the authority's wording and caveats, give the date of the response and the reference number, and say it was released under FOI. If the same subject is later covered by official statistics, prefer those.
Checklist
Checked official statistics and disclosure logs first
Request asks for recorded information, not opinions
Date range, geography and format specified
Asked for definitions and notes
Diary note made for 20 working days
Internal review requested before going to the ICO
Response cited with date, reference and caveats
Official sources used in this guide
Sources: GOV.UK: How to make a freedom of information (FOI) request, Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 1, GOV.UK: transparency and freedom of information releases, Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information statistics, annual 2025, ICO: official information for the public, Scottish Information Commissioner