Request ID: FOI-0688-2223 Date published: 11 July 2022
You asked
- Number and percentage of current female tube drivers
- Number and percentage of current female TfL staff
- Number of driver absences each year since 2016
Thank you for your requests (detailed below) received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21st June 2022 asking various questions about TfL services, projects and staff. Your requests have been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
I can confirm that we hold information you require. However, I am afraid that it is not possible to source the information to answer all of your questions within the costs limit for responding to cases as set out under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12, TfL is not required to provide information if it would cost more than £450 to determine if the requested information is held, and to then locate, retrieve of extract that information from elsewhere. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour. For the purposes of calculating costs, any requests from the same applicant received in any 60 consecutive day period can be aggregated. That provision applies in this instance.
In order to bring your requests within the costs limit you may wish to narrow the scope to focus on the information that is of most importance to you. In considering any revised request I would encourage you to review the information that is already published proactively on our website. I would in particular point you to our Publications Schedule which will help you navigate the website:
Further, in considering any revised request you may wish to consider the advice provided by the Information Commissioner on how best to access information from public bodies, published on its website here:
As you can see, the table of “Dos and Don’ts” on that page contains the following advice:
“Do...Think about whether making a request is the best way of achieving what you want.
Do...Give the authority ample opportunity to address any previous requests you have made before submitting new ones.
Don’t...Disrupt a public authority by the sheer weight of requests or the volume of information requested.
Don’t...Deliberately ‘fish’ for information by submitting a very broad or random requests in the hope it will catch something noteworthy or otherwise useful. Requests should be directed towards obtaining information on a particular issue, rather than relying on pot luck to see if anything of interest is revealed.”
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
