Ask for records, not grievance redress

Sections 2(f) and 2(j) cover information held by or under the control of a public authority: documents, orders, file notes, reports, emails, inspections and copies. Section 3 gives this right to citizens, subject to the Act. RTI is not an order to resolve your complaint or create a new explanation.

First look for the record on the authority’s website. Section 4 requires proactive publication of important information. If a record is already available, you may not need to file a request.

Instead of ‘Why have you not approved my application?’, ask: ‘Please provide certified copies of the recorded action taken and file noting on application [reference] received on [date], from that date until [end date].’

Add a separate item: ‘Please provide a copy of the rule or order specifying the prescribed processing period for this type of application.’ These requests identify existing records; they do not require an officer to invent a justification.

Instead of ‘Repair this road’, ask for the sanctioned estimate, work order, relevant measurement-book entries and completion certificate for the identified road and period. Use the grievance channel separately to ask for repairs.

For a large file, consider requesting inspection before selecting pages for copies. Do not ask for every record ever held by a department: identify the project, record type and period.

A private business is not automatically a public authority. Section 2(f) also includes information about a private body that a public authority can access under another law. Identify the public authority and its access powers instead of assuming RTI applies directly to any company.

Disclosure is subject to exemptions. A request cannot guarantee that records exist, that they are disclosable, or that a particular outcome will follow.