OIA response time statistics
Mark Hanna made this Official Information request to Ministry for Primary Industries
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
From: Official Information Act
Ministry for Primary Industries
Tēnā koe Mark,
Thank you for your official information request received on 17 April 2018.
Your request will be considered and an answer provided in accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please email [email address].
Ngā mihi,
OIA Team
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hanna [mailto:[FOI #7633 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 17 April 2018 12:42 PM
To: Ministerials <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - OIA response time statistics
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7633 email]
Is [MPI request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Ministry for Primary Industries? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
hide quoted sections
From: Keegan Platten
Ministry for Primary Industries
Kia Ora Mark,
I am the advisor who is working on your request. I am contacting you about certain parts of your request that the Ministry is likely to refuse given the information is not held centrally, specifically 2a, 3a, 3c, 4 of your request. This would require manually going into every request and finding the applicable paperwork. This is to advise that we can consider the other parts of your request for release, specifically:
• Date of receipt
• Date Due
• Date decision sent
• Whether a request was extended
Is there any other information on this topic you may be interested in? Let me know and I can see if this is something that we can consider for release.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Keegan
Keegan Platten | Senior Adviser – Official Information Act
Office of the Director-General | Ministerials and Business Support | Ph: 04 831 3057
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua | Pastoral House 25 The Terrace | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 New Zealand Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Official Information Act
Sent: Tuesday, 17 April 2018 3:12 PM
To: '[FOI #7633 email]' <[FOI #7633 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - OIA response time statistics
Tēnā koe Mark,
Thank you for your official information request received on 17 April 2018.
Your request will be considered and an answer provided in accordance with the requirements of the Official Information Act 1982.
If you have any questions regarding this request, please email [email address].
Ngā mihi,
OIA Team
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hanna [mailto:[FOI #7633 email]]
Sent: Tuesday, 17 April 2018 12:42 PM
To: Ministerials <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - OIA response time statistics
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
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7633 email]
Is [MPI request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests to Ministry for Primary Industries? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
hide quoted sections
From: Mark Hanna
Kia ora Keegan,
Thanks for getting back to me quickly about this. I understand the information you've specified would be very difficult to extract, so I'm happy for those parts of my request to be refused in that context.
Regarding part 3c (duration of an extension), the main reason I am interested in that information is so I can use it to calculate the updated "due date" of a request that has been extended. I can then use this date, alongside the date the response was provided, to calculate how much time was remaining when the response was sent.
Though the duration of an extension is not stored in a way that would allow it to be easily extracted, would that updated "due date" after an extension be something that is stored centrally and so could perhaps be provided instead?
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
From: Keegan Platten
Ministry for Primary Industries
Kia Ora Mark,
Thanks for the explanation. In short - no.
Once an extension is granted, the 'due date' is updated in our system to reflect the extended date, and the original due date is removed. If you were provided with the date of receipt and (in cases where the response was extended) the updated due date, you would be able to calculate the extension length using that.
Would that work?
Cheers,
Keegan
Keegan Platten | Senior Adviser – Official Information Act
Office of the Director-General | Ministerials and Business Support | Ph: 04 831 3057
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua | Pastoral House 25 The Terrace | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 New Zealand Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hanna [mailto:[FOI #7633 email]]
Sent: Monday, 23 April 2018 10:32 AM
To: Keegan Platten <[email address]>
Subject: Re: OIA18-0265 - clarification
Kia ora Keegan,
Thanks for getting back to me quickly about this. I understand the information you've specified would be very difficult to extract, so I'm happy for those parts of my request to be refused in that context.
Regarding part 3c (duration of an extension), the main reason I am interested in that information is so I can use it to calculate the updated "due date" of a request that has been extended. I can then use this date, alongside the date the response was provided, to calculate how much time was remaining when the response was sent.
Though the duration of an extension is not stored in a way that would allow it to be easily extracted, would that updated "due date" after an extension be something that is stored centrally and so could perhaps be provided instead?
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
-----Original Message-----
Kia Ora Mark,
I am the advisor who is working on your request. I am contacting you about certain parts of your request that the Ministry is likely to refuse given the information is not held centrally, specifically 2a, 3a, 3c, 4 of your request. This would require manually going into every request and finding the applicable paperwork. This is to advise that we can consider the other parts of your request for release, specifically:
• Date of receipt
• Date Due
• Date decision sent
• Whether a request was extended
Is there any other information on this topic you may be interested in? Let me know and I can see if this is something that we can consider for release.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Keegan
Keegan Platten | Senior Adviser – Official Information Act Office of the Director-General | Ministerials and Business Support | Ph: 04 831 3057 Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua | Pastoral House 25 The Terrace | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 New Zealand Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #7633 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
hide quoted sections
From: Mark Hanna
Kia ora Keegan,
Yes, I would be able to use that extended due date information for what I'm trying to do. Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this context, and for helping me find this alternative to what I'd originally asked for.
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
From: Keegan Platten
Ministry for Primary Industries
OIA18 0265 data for release.xlsx
18K
Download
View as HTML
OIA18 0265 Response.pdf
537K
Download
View as HTML
Kia Ora Mark,
On behalf of Andrew MacGregor, Manager Ministerials and Business Support, please find attached a response to your OIA.
If there is any issues with the spreadsheet, please let me know. I hope this information is useful.
Cheers,
Keegan
Keegan Platten | Senior Adviser – Official Information Act
Office of the Director-General | Ministerials and Business Support | Ph: 04 831 3057
Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua | Pastoral House 25 The Terrace | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 New Zealand Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Hanna [mailto:[FYI request #7633 email]]
Sent: Monday, 23 April 2018 12:23 PM
To: Keegan Platten <[email address]>
Subject: RE: OIA18-0265 - clarification
Kia ora Keegan,
Yes, I would be able to use that extended due date information for what I'm trying to do. Thanks a lot for taking the time to explain this context, and for helping me find this alternative to what I'd originally asked for.
Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna
-----Original Message-----
Kia Ora Mark,
Thanks for the explanation. In short - no.
Once an extension is granted, the 'due date' is updated in our system to reflect the extended date, and the original due date is removed. If you were provided with the date of receipt and (in cases where the response was extended) the updated due date, you would be able to calculate the extension length using that.
Would that work?
Cheers,
Keegan
Keegan Platten | Senior Adviser – Official Information Act Office of the Director-General | Ministerials and Business Support | Ph: 04 831 3057 Ministry for Primary Industries - Manatū Ahu Matua | Pastoral House 25 The Terrace | PO Box 2526 | Wellington 6140 New Zealand Web: www.mpi.govt.nz
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FYI request #7633 email]
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This email message and any attachment(s) is intended solely for the addressee(s)
named above. The information it contains may be classified and may be legally
privileged. Unauthorised use of the message, or the information it contains,
may be unlawful. If you have received this message by mistake please call the
sender immediately on 64 4 8940100 or notify us by return email and erase the
original message and attachments. Thank you.
The Ministry for Primary Industries accepts no responsibility for changes
made to this email or to any attachments after transmission from the office.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
hide quoted sections
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
Offensive? Unsuitable?
Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid requests for Official Information (read more).
If you believe this request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators
Report this request