Request ID: FOI-4680-2324 Date published: 15 April 2024
You asked
To whom it may concern,
Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information:
A list of all London Underground stations with heaters located on the platforms for staff use.
We answered
TfL Ref: 4680-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 19 March 2024 asking for information about platform heaters for staff use at London Underground stations.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. You specifically asked for: A list of all London Underground stations with heaters located on the platforms for staff use.
I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. However, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with requests if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. In this instance, we estimate that the time required to answer your request would significantly exceed 18 hours which, at £25 per hour (the rate stipulated by the Regulations), exceeds the ‘appropriate limit’.
Our London Underground central asset database does not record the requested information in a way that allows us to easily filter heating located on platforms for staff use. In order to answer your request we would have to check every station individually to see if they have any platform heaters which are used by staff and then collate this information. In addition, stations with heaters may vary across time depending on the requirements of staff at individual stations.
We can advise however that heating is provided in the majority of London Underground facilities, to meet various staff requirements. Welfare facilities and appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided specifically to staff in line with the risk assessment for their varying working activity. Platforms are most usually separated from designated welfare facilities, therefore appropriate PPE is more likely to be used on platforms.
To help bring the cost of responding to your requests within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider refining your requests to concentrate on matters which are important to you.
Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, TfL does not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request. If you have specific questions relating to these topics we may be more easily able to respond to these than to a request for any information held.
If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
