November 2010

Featured in a recent Local Government Chronicle Magazine was an article highlighting the increasing cost that councils are facing from Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, with an estimated £34m a year being spent on answering them.

University College London's Constitution Unit have estimated that the volume of requests has increased from 60,000 in 2005 to 118,000 in 2008, and with each request taking on average 10-12 hours each to answer, councils are feeling the burden.

It is not surprising however, that the figure has risen - Council spending is a hot topic for the media, the public want to know where their money is being spent and business' that failed to win contracts want to know why. Understandably, it is this type of data that make up 90% of FoI requests.

19 UK authorities are currently being monitored over slow responses to FoI requests and are working with the Information Commissioner's Office to make sure they continue to meet the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.

With many FoI's relating to claims and compensation, insurance departments are one of the areas feeling the pressure. When JCAD's claim handling solution was first introduced in 1992, the ability to easily access data through the quick find facility was much appreciated. It also made the process of responding to FoI requests much easier, which was a distinct bonus. Today this facility is no longer a bonus, it is a necessity, saving our clients time and money when dealing with FoI's.

For those organisations who are not yet customers of JCAD there are additional complications if you outsource claims to a third party. Firstly, how long will it take to obtain data and will there be a cost?

Taking advantage of an in house system such as JCAD LACHS solves this problem along with many others. Have a look at our whitepaper.

 

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