NTIn ForceAct
Information Act 2002
21Providing access in whole or in part
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 21
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Information Act 2002.
21 Providing access in whole or in part
(1) The public sector organisation may decide to provide access to all
or part only of the information (in both cases referred to in
subsection (2) as the information).
(2) The public sector organisation must:
(a) provide access by:
(i) if the organisation is reasonably able to reproduce the
information – providing the applicant with a copy; or
Information Act 2002 20
(ii) permitting the applicant to examine the information; and
(b) include in the notice of decision under section 20:
(i) details of:
(A) how the copy will be provided to the applicant; or
(B) the place and time at which the information may be
examined,
as the case requires; and
(ii) the prescribed details about the fee payable to the
organisation for providing access.
(3) If the public sector organisation decides to provide access to part
only of the information, subject to subsection (4), the organisation
must include in the notice of decision under section 20 the reasons
for refusing access to the remainder of the information, including
the provision of this Act because of which access is refused.
(4) If it is not in the public interest for the applicant to know whether or
not the remainder of the information exists or not, the public sector
organisation is not required in the notice of decision under
section 20:
(a) to confirm or deny the existence of the remainder of the
(b) to give reasons for refusing access to the remainder of the