Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)
Freedom of Information (FOI) aims to increase openness and transparency for the services we provide. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is intended to promote greater accountability and gives you a general right to access information held on record by Scrivens Limited.
Anyone can request this information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live. However, there are some circumstances when information cannot be disclosed and we have detailed these below. If what you have requested constitutes “environmental information”, we will handle your request under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).
Published information
You may not need to make an FOI or EIR request to get the information you want. We are required to routinely publish optical service fees, so please review the links below before you make a request.
England – NHS voucher values for glasses and lenses – NHS
Wales – Voucher values and fees | Regulation | Association of Optometrists
Scotland – Guide to using NHS optical vouchers | National Services Scotland
How to request information
The FOI Act stipulates that you must put your request in writing and provide us with your name and a correspondence email and address. Please be as clear and as specific as possible about the information you want.
Please submit all FOI and EIR requests to: [email protected]
When will I receive a response?
Under both pieces of legislation, we are required to provide you with a response as soon as possible but no later than 20 working days after we receive your request.
If we are unable to provide the information requested within 20 working days, for instance may need to extend this time to carry out a Public Interest Test, we will advise why and provide a date by when we expect to be able to respond.
What does the Freedom of information act cover?
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act gives you the right to obtain information held by public authorities unless there are good reasons to keep it confidential.
The Freedom of Information Act covers:
What does the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 cover?
The Environmental Information Regulations allows the public to request environmental information from public authorities.
The information covered can be divided into the following six main areas:
Can I request information about myself, patients or staff under the Freedom of Information Act?
The FOI Act does not allow people to obtain personal information about individuals whether that is you, patients or our staff.
If you require information about yourself, you will need to make a request in accordance with your Data Protection rights. To find out more about how to make a subject access request, please visit our Privacy Statement page for further details.
Is there a fee?
The majority of information supplied will be free of charge. However, a fee may apply in some circumstances, such as where we seek to cover postage and photocopying expenses. If we intend to charge for your request, we will let you know the fee amount and how to pay, before we begin to deal with your request.
Will I get all the information I ask for?
The Act aims to strike a balance between promoting openness, protecting the privacy rights of individuals and maintaining the right to confidentiality. This balance is achieved through use of the exemptions defined by the Act.
Exclusions in the Act require us to withhold information that is of a personal, confidential nature or that which may have a negative effect on the conduct of public affairs.
We are also not obliged to deal with requests that are repeated, intended to cause harassment or would take an excessive amount of staff time to complete.
Where we decide to withhold information, we will advise you of the reason(s) why we cannot fulfil your request.
What if I am dissatisfied with the response?
If you are not happy with the information that we have supplied, or if you feel that your enquiry has not been dealt with appropriately, you are entitled to request an internal review. This should be made in writing within 40 days of receipt of our response. Please quote your FOI reference number on any correspondence.
To request an internal review please contact the FOI Team by emailing: [email protected]
The internal review will be carried out by the appropriate Manager relating to your request. You can expect to receive the outcome of the internal review within 20 working days.
If you remain unhappy with the handling/outcome of your internal review, you also have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner within two months of receiving our response. You can write to the Information Commissioner’s Office at the following address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
More information is available on the ICO website at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/
If you have any other general questions or concerns you can contact the FOI team by emailing – [email protected]
Alternatively, you can write to us at our main sites:
Information Governance Office
Scrivens Limited
Scrivens House
60 Islington Row Middleway
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 1PH
