I propose to take Questions Nos. 522 and 523 together.
As of 30 November 2017, a total of 339 Freedom of Information requests had been received this year by my Department. Of these requests, 173 were either fully or partially granted and 73 were refused. The remainder were either withdrawn, transferred to another FOI body or are as yet undecided.
The table below provides details in relation to the periods of consideration. In the small number of cases where extensions are required, this can be necessary for a variety of reasons and is usually due to the complexity or breadth of the request.
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No.
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Number of FOI requests where the period of consideration was completed within four weeks of receipt of request
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241
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Number of FOI requests where the period of consideration was extended by up to four weeks
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25
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