Make a Request for Information
What is freedom of information (FOI) ?
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) gives people the right to access information held by Scottish public authorities. The aim of the Act is to increase openness and transparency by giving people access to recorded information. Information can only be withheld where the Act permits it.
Environmental Information - Alongside FOISA, the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (the EIRs) provide a separate right of access to environmental information that we hold. See the section below for more information about the EIRs.
Publication Scheme - Section 23 of FOISA requires Scottish public authorities to maintain a publication scheme. A publication scheme sets out the types of information that a public authority routinely makes available, and it is possible to access a lot of this information directly from the scheme (instead of having to send in a request for it). See the publication scheme page for more detail.
How can I get information?
In the first instance, we would advise you to check if the information is available from our publication scheme - the guide to information lists information you can access, and provides links to where you can find it.
Publication scheme - Guide to our information
If the information you need is not available from the publication scheme, you can request it from us by any of the following methods:
Online - use our Information Request Online Form
E-mail - send us an e-mail at: foi@argyll-bute.gov.uk
By post - postal address: FOI Section, Argyll and Bute Council, Compliance & Regulatory Team, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8RT
Using AI to help draft information requests?
AI tools can be helpful, but they can also introduce errors or create overly complex requests that increase the burden on public bodies and cost to the taxpayer.
When using AI to help draft an information request, please make sure the final wording has been checked and reflects your actual information needs.
Before you submit a request or ask for a review, please check that:
You are only asking for the information you are genuinely looking for.
AI tools sometimes generate broad or excessive wording that goes beyond the information you actually want or need;
The request is clear, concise and focused.
Short, straightforward requests are easier for us to process and usually lead to quicker, more accurate responses;
There are no obvious factual inaccuracies.
AI can misrepresent legislation or misstate what organisations do. Please review the text of your request carefully and don’t assume AI is right. If it has referred to something you don’t understand, check what it is;
The tone is appropriate.
AI-generated content can sometimes sound abrupt, or otherwise inappropriate. Please check the tone before sending.
Why does this matter?
We are seeing an increase in requests and secondary correspondence that appear to have been drafted by generative AI. These can require additional clarification because of inaccuracies or unnecessary complexity. This creates delays for both requesters and our teams.
Further guidance on using AI to submit requests can be found here: Using AI to help make FOI requests | Scottish Information Commissioner
What will I receive?
Timescales - FOISA requires information to be provided within 20 working days. We will try to provide information earlier than 20 days when possible.
Type of information - You can ask for any kind of recorded information - this includes information recorded by the Council on paper, electronically, and other methods.
Data Protection - Subject Access Requests
See our page about Data Protection for information about the recent changes to data protection legislation, and how to access your own personal information held by Argyll and Bute Council.
Environmental Information
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act does not apply to environmental information, but the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations) give you very similar rights. "Environmental information" covers a broad range of topics, such as:
- the environment itself, including air, water, earth and the habitats of animals and plants
- things that affect the environment, such as emissions, radiation, noise and pollution
- policies, plans and laws on the environment.
See "Definition of Environmental Information" for more detailed guidance on what might be classed as environmental information.
You can request this information from us using any of the methods mentioned above.
