Info Source Bulletin Number 31B - Statistical Reporting
Privacy Act
and
Access to Information Act
Bulletin Number 31B
Statistical Reporting
Table of Contents
A. Information about the Government of Canada
Statistical Information - Personal Information Banks
Statistical Tables 2007-2008 - Access to Information
Statistical Tables 2007-2008 - Privacy
Statistical Tables 1983-2008 - Access to Information
Statistical Tables 1983-2008 - Privacy
Foreword
Info Source: Bulletin - Statistical Reporting
Info Source: Bulletin - Statistical Reporting contains statistical information about the number of access to information and privacy requests processed by federal government institutions in 2007-2008 as well as cumulative statistics since 1983. This publication is updated annually.
A. Information about the Government of Canada
The telephone numbers listed below are for the Government of Canada's bilingual, toll-free service. They can be used to obtain general information and referrals for programs and services.
| Toll-free | 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) |
| TTY/TDD | 1-800-926-9105 |
B. Canada Web Site
| Web Site | www.canada.gc.ca |
The Canada web site provides a single electronic access point to general information about Canada, the federal government, and its programs and services. The Canada Site features three gateways to quickly access information: Service Canada, Canada Business, and Canada International. These gateways organize content based upon the needs of users rather than by departmental responsibility.
C. About Info Source
Info Source is a series of publications containing information about and/or collected by the Government of Canada. The primary purpose of Info Source is to assist individuals exercise their rights under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. Info Source also supports the federal government's committment to facilitating access to information regarding its activities.
Info Source includes the following four publications:
Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information:
- provides information about the functions, programs, activities and related information holdings of federal government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act; and
- provides individuals and employees of the federal government with relevant information to access personal information about them held by federal government institutions subject to the Privacy Act.
Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information:
- provides information to assist current and former federal government employees access personal information about them held by federal government institutions subject to the Privacy Act andto exercise their rights under the Privacy Act.
Info Source: Bulletin - Statistical Reporting:
- contains statistical information about access to information and privacy requests on an annual basis; and
- provides cumulative statistics about access to information and privacy requests since 1983.
Info Source: Bulletin - Federal Court Case Summaries:
- includes an annual summary of federal court cases related to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.
D. Roles and Responsibilities
Treasury Board Secretariat
The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Actassign responsibility to the President of Treasury Board
(as the designated Minister) to create and disseminate information annually about federal government institutions' activities
and the personal information they collect, use and disclose. Treasury Board Secretariat fulfills this role by compiling
and distributing the Info Source publications and by reviewing and registering Personal Information
Banks.
Federal Government Institutions
Federal government institutions are responsible for sound management practices and decisions in responding to requests from
applicants and with respect to the handling and protection of personal information.
Institutions are also responsible for providing comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date descriptions of their functions, programs, activities, related information holdings and collections of personal information for the Info Source publications on an annual basis. Each institution is responsible for the information it submits.
Each federal institution also has an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator or a Privacy Coordinator. A list of federal government ATIP Coordinators is available at: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/atip-aiprp/apps/coords/index-eng.asp.
E. Additional Information
For more information about Info Source, the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, please contact:
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier, 8th Floor, East Tower
140 O'Connor Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
| General Enquiries | 613-957-2400 |
| Publications | 613-995-2855 |
| Facsimile | 613-996-0518 |
| TTY | 613-957-9090 |
| General Library Reference | 613-996-5494 |
| infosource@tbs-sct.gc.ca | |
| Treasury Board Web Site | www.tbs-sct.gc.ca |
| Info Source Web Site | www.infosource.gc.ca |
To purchase a copy of Info Source: Sources of Federal Government Information or Info Source: Sources of Federal Employee Information on CD-ROM, please contact:
Publishing and Depository Services
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0S5
| publications@pwgsc.gc.ca | |
| Telephone | 613-941-5995 |
| Telephone Toll free (Canada & US) | 1-800-635-7943 |
| Facsimile | 613-954-5779 |
| Facsimile Toll free (Canada & US) | 1-800-565-7757 |
| Web Site | http://publications.gc.ca |
All Info Source publications are available free of charge on the Internet at: www.infosource.gc.ca
Statistical Information - Personal Information Banks
2007-2008
Personal Information Banks (PIBs) provide a description of the types of personal information about individuals that is held by federal institutions. The Privacy Act requires that Personal Information Banks include all personal information that is organized and retrievable by a person's name or by an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned only to that person. Personal Information Banks must also include personal information that has been or is being used, or is available for use for an administrative purpose.
| Number of institutions registering new PIBs in 2007-2008 | 28 |
| Number of new PIBs registered in 2007-2008 | 256 |
| Number of new institution-specific PIBs registered in 2007-2008 | 19 |
| Number of new Standard PIBs registered in 2007-2008 | 237 |
Statistical Tables - 2007-2008 - Access to Information
Access to Information Requests - April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008
These figures are based on Statistical Reports provided by 232 of the 237 federal institutions subject to the Access to Information Act during the period for which the statistical information is reported1. Five institutions, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, Marine Atlantic Inc, Northwest Territories Water Board, Nunavut Surface Rights Board and Ridley Terminals Inc. did not submit Statistical Reports.
| Requests received during this reporting period | 31,487 |
| Requests brought forward from previous reporting period | 5,776 |
| Total number of requests | 37,263 |
| Requests completed | 30,530 |
| Requests carried forward to next reporting period | 6,733 |
| Please note: These totals include transfers of requests between institutions. | |
Disposition of completed requests
| Requests where all information was disclosed | 17.8% | 5,430 |
| Requests where information was disclosed in part | 55.4% | 16,915 |
| Requests where all information was excluded | 0.9% | 264 |
| Requests where all information was exempted | 2.1% | 633 |
| Requests transferred to another institution | 1.3% | 383 |
| Requests where information was given informally | 0.6% | 175 |
| Requests which could not be processed (by reasons such as insufficient information provided by applicant, no records exist or abandonment by applicant) |
22.0% | 6,730 |
| Total | 30,530 | |
Source of Requests
| Requests received from businesses | 41.9% | 13,202 |
| Requests received from the public | 34.2% | 10,762 |
| Requests received from the media | 14.0% | 4,411 |
| Requests received from organizations | 9.1% | 2,850 |
| Requests received from academics | 0.8% | 262 |
| Total Requests Received | 31,487 | |
Institutions ranked in order of number of requests received
| 1) Citizenship and Immigration Canada | 36.9% | 11,434 |
| 2) Canada Revenue Agency | 6.1% | 1,903 |
| 3) National Defence | 5.7% | 1,779 |
| 4) Royal Canadian Mounted Police | 5.4% | 1,662 |
| 5) Transport Canada | 3.9% | 1,217 |
| 6) Health Canada | 3.7% | 1,147 |
| 7) Canada Border Services Agency | 3.3% | 1,030 |
| 8) Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada | 2.4% | 736 |
| 9) Privy Council Office | 2.2% | 688 |
| 10) Environment Canada | 2.1% | 659 |
| 11) Other Departments | 28.1% | 9,232 |
| Total | 31,487 | |
Time Required to Complete Requests
(including requests for which extensions were required)
| 0 to 30 days | 57.2% | 17,476 |
| 31 to 60 days | 19.6% | 5,971 |
| 61 to 120 days | 11.3% | 3,459 |
| 121 days or over | 11.9% | 3,624 |
| Total | 30,530 | |
Extension Time Required
| 30 days or less | 31 days or over | |
| Searching | 1,209 | 1,864 |
| Consultation | 921 | 2,889 |
| Third Party | 144 | 1,279 |
Exemptions
It should be noted that a single Access Request can be indicated as being exempted for multiple reasons. All such exemptions must be reported.
| Section 19 | Personal information | 29.5% | 12,119 |
| Section 15 | International affairs and defence | 20.4% | 8,365 |
| Section 21 | Operations of government | 13.8% | 5,685 |
| Section 16 | Law enforcement and investigations | 12.0% | 4,924 |
| Section 20 | Third party information | 9.2% | 3,790 |
| Section 13 | Information obtained in confidence | 4.1% | 1,686 |
| Section 23 | Solicitor-client privilege | 3.4% | 1,381 |
| Section 14 | Federal-provincial affairs | 2.6% | 1,063 |
| Section 24 | Statutory prohibitions | 2.5% | 1,005 |
| Section 18 | Economic interests of Canada | 1.5% | 619 |
| Section 22 | Testing procedures | 0.5% | 221 |
| Section 26 | Information to be published | 0.2% | 97 |
| Section 17 | Safety of Individuals | 0.2% | 96 |
| Section 25 | Severability | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 41,051 | ||
Exclusions
It should be noted that a single Access Request can be indicated as being excluded for multiple reasons. All such exclusions must be reported.
| Section 69(1)(g) | 35.4% | 845 |
| Section 69(1)(a) | 20.4% | 486 |
| Section 69(1)(e) | 19.3% | 461 |
| Section 68(a) | 10.2% | 243 |
| Section 69(1) | 6.2% | 147 |
| Section 69(1)(c) | 3.0% | 71 |
| Section 69(1)(d) | 2.9% | 70 |
| Section 69(1)(f) | 1.2% | 28 |
| Section 68(1) | 0.8% | 18 |
| Section 69(1)(b) | 0.3% | 7 |
| Section 68(b) | 0.2% | 5 |
| Section 68(c) | 0.1% | 3 |
| Total | 2,384 | |
Costs and Fees for Operations
| Requests completed | 30,530 |
| Cost of operations | $43,910,746.96 |
| Cost per completed request | $1,425.04 |
| Fees collected | $404,208.63 |
| Fees collected per completed request | $13.24 |
| Fees waived | $183,617.59 |
| Fees waived per completed request | $6.01 |
Statistical Tables - 2007-2008 - Privacy
Privacy Requests - April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008
These figures are based on Statistical Reports provided by 232 of the 237 federal institutions subject to the Privacy Act during the period for which the statistical information is reported2. Five institutions, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, Marine Atlantic Inc, Northwest Territories Water Board, Nunavut Surface Rights Board and Ridley Terminals Inc. did not submit Statistical Reports.
| Requests received during this reporting period | 39,134 |
| Requests brought forward from previous reporting period | 4,502 |
| Total number of requests | 43,636 |
| Requests completed | 38,744 |
| Requests carried forward to next reporting period | 4,892 |
Disposition of completed requests
| Requests where all information was disclosed | 24.8% | 9,602 |
| Requests where information was disclosed in part | 48.2% | 18,693 |
| Requests where all information was excluded | 0.0% | 13 |
| Requests where all information was exempted | 1.1% | 441 |
| Requests unable to be processed (Reasons include insufficient information provided by applicant, no records exist and abandonment by applicant) |
25.8% | 9,995 |
| Total | 38,744 | |
Institutions ranked in order of number of requests received
| 1) Human Resources and Skills Development Canada | 19.2% | 7,458 |
| 2) Correctional Service Canada | 18.9% | 7,313 |
| 3) National Defence | 13.5% | 5,244 |
| 4) Citizenship and Immigration Canada | 12.9% | 5,002 |
| 5) Canada Post Corporation | 12.3% | 4,774 |
| 6) Royal Canadian Mounted Police | 7.7% | 2,974 |
| 7) Canada Revenue Agency | 3.6% | 1,406 |
| 8) Canada Border Services Agency | 2.4% | 926 |
| 9) Canadian Security Intelligence Service | 1.9% | 746 |
| 10) Immigration and Refugee Board | 1.3% | 509 |
| 11) Other Departments | 6.2% | 2,392 |
| Total | 38,744 | |
Time Required to Complete Requests
(including requests for which extensions were required)
| 0 to 30 days | 68.6% | 26,595 |
| 31 to 60 days | 14.8% | 5,728 |
| 61 to 120 days | 7.4% | 2,868 |
| 121 days or more | 9.2% | 3,553 |
| Total | 38,744 | |
Exemptions
It should be noted that a single Privacy Request can be indicated as being exempted for multiple reasons. All such exemptions must be reported.
| Section 26 | Information about another individual | 61.1% | 17,299 |
| Section 22 | Law enforcement and investigation | 19.8% | 5,611 |
| Section 19 | Personal information obtained in confidence | 7.4% | 2,093 |
| Section 21 | International Affairs and defence | 6.4% | 1,802 |
| Section 24 | Individuals sentenced for an offence | 3.0% | 849 |
| Section 27 | Solicitor-client privilige | 1.7% | 474 |
| Section 25 | Safety of individuals | 0.3% | 97 |
| Section 28 | Medical records | 0.2% | 46 |
| Section 23 | Security clearances | 0.2% | 44 |
| Section 20 | Federal-provincial affairs | 0.0% | 3 |
| Section 18 | Exempt banks | 0.0% | 1 |
| Total | 28,319 | ||
Exclusions
It should be noted that a single Privacy Request can be indicated as being excluded for multiple reasons. All such exclusions must be reported.
| Section 69(1)(a) | 36.4% | 8 |
| Section 70(1)(a) | 18.2% | 4 |
| Section 70(1)(c) | 13.6% | 3 |
| Section 70(1)(d) | 13.6% | 3 |
| Section 70(1)(e) | 9.1% | 2 |
| Section 69(1)(b) | 4.5% | 1 |
| Section 70(1)(b) | 4.5% | 1 |
| Section 70(1)(f) | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 22 | |
Costs for Operations
| Requests completed | 38,744 |
| Cost of operations | $19,511,255.83 |
| Cost per request completed | $503.59 |
Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)
| Number of Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) initiated | 95 |
| Number of Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) completed | 49 |
| Number of Preliminary Privacy Impact Assessments (PPIA) initated | 75 |
| Number of Preliminary Privacy Impact Assessments (PPIA) completed | 44 |
| Number of PIAs forwarded to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) | 41 |
Statistical Tables - 1983-2008 - Access to Information
Please note that the statistics reflect adjustments made throughout the years.
Disposition of Requests
| Requests received | 364,552 |
| Requests completed | 357,171 |
Disposition of completed Requests
| Requests where all information was disclosed | 30.6% | 109,442 |
| Requests where information was disclosed in part | 40.8% | 145,883 |
| Requests where all information was excluded | 0.6% | 2,154 |
| Requests where all information was exempted | 2.7% | 9,606 |
| Requests transferred to another institution | 1.8% | 6,435 |
| Requests where information was given informally | 2.9% | 10,503 |
| Requests which could not be processed (Reasons include insufficient information provided by applicant, no records exist and abandonment by applicant) |
20.5% | 73,148 |
| Total | 357,171 | |
Time Required to Complete Requests
(including requests for which extensions were required)
| 0 to 30 days | 59.7% | 213,195 |
| 31 to 60 days | 17.1% | 61,225 |
| 61 days or more | 21.2% | 82,751 |
| Total | 357,171 | |
Costs and Fees for Operations
| Requests completed | 357,171 |
| Cost of operations | $341,546,382.61 |
| Cost per request completed | $956.25 |
| Fees collected | $4,232,204.93 |
| Fees collected per request completed | $11.85 |
| Fees waived | $2,068,003.42 |
| Fees waived per request completed | $5.28 |
Statistical Tables - 1983-2008 - Privacy
Please note that the statistics reflect adjustments made throughout the years.
Disposition of Requests
| Requests received | 1,034,808 |
| Requests completed | 1,034,615 |
Disposition of Completed Requests
| Requests where all information was disclosed | 51.0% | 527,205 |
| Requests where information was disclosed in part | 33.0% | 341,495 |
| Requests where all information was excluded | 0.1% | 549 |
| Requests where all information was exempted | 0.8% | 8,451 |
| Requests which could not be processed (by reasons such as insufficient information provided by applicant, no records exist and abandonment by applicant) |
15.2% | 156,915 |
| Total | 1,034,615 | |
Time Required to Complete Requests
(including requests for which extensions were required)
| 0 to 30 days | 58.7% | 607,396 |
| 31 to 60 days | 18.3% | 189,821 |
| 61 days or more | 22.9% | 237,398 |
| Total | 1,034,615 | |
Costs for Operations
| Requests completed | 1,034,615 |
| Cost of operations | $242,834,313.18 |
| Cost per completed request | $234.71 |