In late 2023, the Commissioner launched Project Blue, a new case management approach designed to tackle a 384 case backlog that had built up in the aftermath of the pandemic. This involved colour coding cases and taking a different approach to investigations.
- All cases that were received prior to 1 January 2024 and being actively investigated on that date were coded Purple.
- All cases received after 1 January 2024 were coded Green.
The backlogged cases (received but not investigated at 1 January 2024) are Blue cases. These are split into two categories:
- Light Blue (under investigation)
- Navy Blue (not yet under investigation)
The Commissioner took this approach to ensure that new cases could be progressed while information was still live, current and of value to the requester, while also enabling our older backlog cases to be progressed. This approach was taken to preserve the integrity of, and confidence in, the FOI appeal system.
The project is running successfully, with 51% of the backlog cases addressed in the first year. This reporting year has also seen Green cases closed in an average of 103 days, against a target of 120 days.
Some of our applicants have multiple live applications to the Commissioner. In fairness to all, the Commissioner is currently only investigating one blue case per applicant at any time. All the remaining 2022 Navy cases are cases where the applicant has another case currently under investigation.
We are addressing the outstanding blue cases in different ways, depending on the circumstances of the case. Our aim is to resolve cases as quickly as possible, for as many people as possible.
Whilst this approach has been shown to be successful, the Commissioner acknowledges the frustrations of those with cases still to be considered. The Commissioner is mindful that a small number of applicants will see their cases delayed because of this change and thanks them for their patience as we continue to clear the backlog and restore our performance.
