Regulation 10(4)(c) - Request too general

What this exception means#

The authority is saying your request was too vague or general for it to identify the information you want. This exception can only be used if the authority has first asked you to clarify your request and helped you make it more specific.

Unlike FOISA, all EIR exceptions are subject to a public interest test and must be interpreted restrictively. There is a presumption in favour of disclosure.

What the authority must show#

For this exception to apply, the authority must demonstrate all three of the following:

1. The request was formulated in too general a manner - meaning it was genuinely unclear, vague, or non-specific
2. The authority asked you for more particulars - it contacted you to clarify what you wanted
3. The authority assisted you in providing those particulars - it helped you formulate a more specific request

If the authority didn’t ask you to clarify before refusing, this exception has almost certainly been misapplied.

Things to check#

• Did they ask you to clarify before refusing? This is the most important check. If the authority went straight to a refusal without first contacting you to ask for clarification, it has not met the requirements of regulation 10(4)(c). The duty to ask for clarification is not optional.

• Did they help you make your request more specific? It’s not enough for the authority to simply say “your request is too vague - please clarify.” Under regulation 9 and the Section 60 Code of Practice, the authority should actively help you - for example, by outlining the kinds of information it holds, providing access to catalogues or indexes, or discussing your request with you.

• Is the request genuinely too general? A request is only “too general” if the authority cannot work out what information is covered. A request that covers a lot of information is not the same as a request that is too vague. If the authority can identify the information but there’s simply a lot of it, regulation 10(4)(c) doesn’t apply - that would be a question for regulation 10(4)(b) (manifestly unreasonable) instead.

• Did you respond to a clarification request? If the authority asked you to clarify and you didn’t respond, the authority may be entitled to refuse. But if you did clarify and the authority still refused, check whether your clarified request was genuinely still too general.

Use the interactive tool#

Answer the questions below to check whether regulation 10(4)(c) has been properly applied to your request.