What do I do if we don’t have the information someone has requested?

If you receive a request for information which you don’t hold, the first thing to consider is whether you do know who has the information. If you know the information is held by another agency, you should transfer the request to that agency, and let the individual know you have done so within 10 working days.

If you don’t know who has the information, then you will just need to let the individual know that you don’t have their information within 20 working days.

However, you should also keep in mind that if you don’t have, or can’t find, personal information which you should actually hold, for whatever reason, this may be in breach of your obligation to take reasonable steps to keep personal information secure. You also need to search thoroughly and check all reasonable possibilities of where the information might be, before you refuse on this basis.

(Updated November 2020)