Freedom of Information Act 2000
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) came into force on the 1 January 2005. They give increased rights of public access to a wide range of information held by public bodies, including environmental information.
This page explains how you can access or request information that we hold.
Publication Scheme
We are an agency of The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and, for Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government. Both our parent Departments have Publication Schemes, listing the classes of information that they make available, and we seek to provide information in a similar way. For further details see A Guide to the Information that the Planning Inspectorate Publishes.
Information Asset Register (IAR)
"Inforoute" is a service that provides direct access to the Government’s Information Asset Register (IAR). The IAR lists information resources, concentrating on unpublished resources.
For more information about Info route and IARs go to the OPSI website.
Information Released
We publish details of some requests and responses on our website. Visit our Information Released page to view the responses.
Requesting Information
Details of how to make an information request are set out in the attached leaflet:
Requesting Information from the Planning Inspectorate 
50kb
Charges for Providing Information
In certain circumstances we may charge for providing information. Details of our policy is set out in the attached leaflet:
Information Requests and Fees 22kb
Inspecting Information
If you wish to visit our offices to view information we hold, please contact us to make an appointment. For information about how to find us see visiting us (England) or visiting us (Wales).
Internal Reviews
If you are dissatisfied with our response or handling of your initial request for information then you may ask for an internal review. Details of our review procedures are set out in the attached leaflet:
Information Request Review Procedures 36kb
If you remain dissatisfied with our response or handling of your request, then you can make an appeal to the Information Commissioner. Further information is available from the Information Commissioner – www.ico.gov.uk.
Personal Data
The Planning Inspectorate, in line with the recommendations from the cross government Data Handling Review, has published its Personal Information Charter. This charter makes commitments to the public about how we will handle personal information entrusted to us.
Requests for personal information we may hold about you must be made in writing. For further information about requesting your personal data see our online privacy statement.
Requests for personal data of third parties will be considered in light of the provisions of the FOIA, EIR and Data Protection Act.
Information Requests and Privacy
In the course of making an information request you may provide limited personal data to us, including your name, address or other contact details. This will be processed by us to help you obtain the information you need.
If we do not hold the information then we may transfer your request to another public authority that can help, or seek your permission to transfer the request. If you do not wish us to transfer your details then please make this clear in your request.
Please see our online Privacy Statement for other information about data protection in The Planning Inspectorate.
Useful links
Copies of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 are available from the Office of Public Sector Information - www.opsi.gov.uk.
Further information about the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations are available from the Information Commissioner www.ico.gov.uk, the Ministry of Justice website – www.foi.gov.uk and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – www.defra.gov.uk.
How to view PDF documents
PDF files can be viewed using Adobe's Acrobat Reader. You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge from the Adobe website. Visit Access Adobe to find out how people with visual disabilities can get the most from this software.
