Your right to know
A large part of our daily business is to provide information to the public about our activities and decisions in regulating the nuclear industry. We therefore publish lots of information as a matter of routine via our website, publication scheme and publications section. You may therefore find the information you are looking for without the need to make a formal request for information. Information released under a FOI request may be published on the ONR website
- Publication scheme
- Releases of information
- ONR-PC-PROC-004 - Procedure for managing information requests
How to submit a request for information to ONR
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) give you the right to request official information held by ONR. If you cannot find the information you require via our website, you can submit a request for information to ONR by email contact@onr.gov.uk. Your request should include your name, contact address (email or postal) and details of the information you require. To assist ONR, you should identify the information you require as clearly as possible.
If your request regards the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), please refer your request to FOI.Unit@hse.gov.uk.
Freedom of Information Act (FOI)
Following your request, ONR will let you know if we hold the information requested and disclose it to you unless we have good reason for keeping it confidential. ONR cannot withhold information from you unless a relevant FOI exemption applies.
Ministerial authorisation has been given to the CE of ONR to act as the Qualified Person to approve withholding information under section 36 of the FOIA, where release would prejudice the conduct of public affairs.
Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)
The EIR operate in a similar way to FOI although they relate specifically to official environmental information held by ONR. Environmental information includes information about the air, water, soil, land, plants and animals, energy, noise, waste and emissions and any policies, decisions or activities that could affect them.
Following a request, ONR will let you know if we hold the information requested and disclose it to you unless we have good reason for keeping it confidential. ONR cannot withhold information from you unless an EIR exception applies.
Dealing with vexatious Freedom of Information (FOI) requests
ONR follows guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office to help determine whether a FOI request should be handled as vexatious.
