We have an email acknowledgement (semi- automated ? ) from the Department for Education and Skills, with a year/number type reference code, for the second of our FOIA Requests, regarding the OECD PISA study.
Interestingly "the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 15 working days", so, in theory, the 20 days FOIA statutory response period should present them with no difficulty.
"From: Acknowledgements.DFES@dfes.gsi.gov.uk
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information Act 2000 PUBLICATIONS SCHEME REQUEST 2
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 15:23:31 -0000Thank you for your recent email. A reply will be sent to you as soon as possible (where a response is required). For information, the departmental standard for correspondence received is that responses should be sent within 15 working days.
Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2005/0003903
Department for Education And Skills
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.htmThe original of this email was scanned for viruses by the Government Secure Intranet (GSi) virus scanning service supplied exclusively by Energis in partnership with MessageLabs.
On leaving the GSi this email was certified virus-free"