Agencies are reducing backlogs of requests under the freedom of information act but additional guidance is needed, GAO has said.
Based on an analysis of agency annual FOIA reports and additional statistics GAO said the numbers of FOIA requests received and processed continue to rise, but that the rate of increase has flattened in recent years.
The number of pending requests carried over from year to year has also increased, although the rate of increase has declined, according to GAO-08-344.
It said the increase in pending requests is primarily due to increases in requests directed to DHS, in particular at Citizenship and Immigration Services, which accounted for about 89 percent of DHS’s total pending requests.
However, the rate of increase is slightly less than it was in fiscal 2005, GAO said.
It said following an emphasis on backlog reduction in Executive Order 13392 and agency improvement plans, that many agencies have decreased backlogs as of September 2007.
Out of 16 agencies GAO looked at, nine had decreases, five experienced increases, and two posted no material change.
DHS was able to decrease its backlog of overdue requests by 29,972, or about 29 percent, according to the report.
It said progress that many agencies made in reducing backlog suggests that the development and implementation of the FOIA improvement plans have had a positive effect.
However, in the absence of consistent statistics on overdue cases, it is not possible to make a full assessment of government-wide progress in this area, GAO said.
It added that while DoJ guidance directs agencies to set goals for reducing backlogs of overdue requests in future fiscal years, it does not direct agencies to monitor and report overdue requests or to develop plans for meeting the new goals.