Time Limits which the FOI Body must meet
| Requirement | Time Limit | Section of the FOI Act 2014 |
| Acknowledge Request | within 10 working days of receipt of initial request | s.12(2) |
| Initial Decision on Request | within 20 working days of receipt of initial request | s.13(1) |
| Transfer of Request to another FOI body | within 10 working days of receipt of initial request | s. 12(3) |
| If consultation is required with third parties under section 38 | notify third party within 10 working days of receipt of request and right to make submissions not later than 15 working days from receipt of that notification may notify third party within 20 working days in cases which involve a significant amount of records or a large number of third parties (requester must be notified of the extension and reasons therefore before expiration of initial 10 day period) make decision within 35 working days of receipt of the request or 45 working days in the case of a significant amount of records | s.38(2) s.38(3) |
| Extension of time limit in accordance with section 14 | time limit may be extended for a maximum of 20 working days in specific circumstances | s. 14(1) |
| Keep records available pending payment of a fee | 40 working days from issue of notification of decision | s. 13(3)(b) |
| Keep records available following payment of a fee | 20 working days from receipt of the fee | s.13(3)(a) |
| Delay release of third party information to allow him or her to appeal to Commissioner | 10 working days | s.26(2)(a) |
| Defer records | until the ‘specified day’ | s. 16 |
| Internal Review | within 15 working days of receipt of request for internal review | s.21(4) |
Time Limits which the Requester must meet
| Requirement | Time Limit | Section |
| Submit application for internal review | within 20 working days of notification of initial decision | s. 21(7) |
| Submit application for review by the Commissioner | within 6 months of notification of decision by the FOI body | s. 22(4)(b) |
| Review of record in respect of which a Ministerial Certificate has expired | within 28 days of the certificate being revoked, annulled or having expired | s.34(12) |
9.3 Time Limits which a third party must meet
| Requirement | Time Limit | Section |
| Submit observations on proposed release of information | within 15 working days of the request from the FOI body for observations | s.38(4) |
| Submit appeal to the Information |
within 10 working days of issue of notification of decision from the FOI body | s.22(4)(a) |
9.4 Indicative Time Limits for the Information Commissioner
| Requirement | Time Limit | Section |
| Dealing with an application for review | Within 4 months from receipt of application | s.22(3) |