Freedom of Information Act
For information on the Freedom of Information Act 2000 including:
- implementing the act in your organisation
- how to use the act
- history of the act
you should visit the Freedom of Information website.
For information from Her Majesty's Courts Service you should read the following information.
How to request information from us
We already make a lot of information available to you. Before you consider making a request, please try:
- Searching our website for the information (using the search site box).
- Checking our Publication Scheme or our Information Asset Register.
If you still can't find what you are looking for, or you require information available on our website in a different form (a hard copy, for example) you may ask for it under the Freedom of Information Act by emailing us or by writing to us at:
Customer Service Unit
Her Majesty's Courts Service
6th Floor
Clive House
70 Petty France
London
SW1H 9HD
Please be as specific as possible about the information you seek so as to help us find it for you. We are obliged to reply promptly and in any event within 20 working days.
Some information may not be available because it falls within one of the exemptions of the Act. When that happens, we will tell you which exemption applies and, in most cases, why the information cannot be released. There is no right of access under the Freedom of Information Act to information contained in court records.
A guide for court and tribunal users (PDF 91Kb) has been produced to explain how the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) applies to those public authorities that run courts and tribunals
Requests for personal data - information about a living individual - are dealt with under the Data Protection Act 1998. If you want to ask whether the Her Majesty's Courts Service holds any personal information about you, you should write to the address below.
You are required to supply proof of your identity, which should include a photocopy of the identification pages of your current passport or of a current photo driving licence; and the original of a current utilities (e.g. electricity) bill, or credit card or bank statement, which includes your name and current address. This would be returned to you if required.
It would also be helpful if you could indicate which part of Her Majesty's Courts Service (i.e. which Department(s), or Directorate(s) or office(s) you believe might hold personal data on you to help narrow the search. We may charge a fee for this service
Access Rights Unit
Ministry of Justice
6th Floor
Selbourne House
54-60 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW
Her Majesty's Courts Service may withhold access to your information where it has the right to do so under the Data Protection Act