UK safety regulator responds in full to fewer than a quarter of FOI requests

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THE UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) responded in full to less than a quarter of public information requests in Q2 2025 – less than half the rate recorded three years ago, according to new data.

According to Cabinet Office data, HSE responded in full to 24% of 470 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, down from 49% in the second quarter of 2022. HSE fully withheld information in 40% of cases. These figures exclude requests disqualified under the FOI Act for being “vexatious”, too costly or time-consuming or where a response was not possible.

All public bodies in the UK are subject to the FOI Act. Among 39 government agencies and departments, HSE had the second-lowest full response rate, behind only the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.  

In contrast to HSE’s fall in disclosure rate, the rate across all government bodies combined increased slightly from 43% in 2022 to 45%.

HSE regulates workplace safety across England, Wales and Scotland, including oversight of major accident hazards (COMAH). It holds information such as safety cases and inspection reports, which are not routinely released but can be requested under FOI. The most common reason for withholding information was the presence of personal data, followed by requests relating to ongoing investigations. Many public bodies typically release information with personal details redacted.

Phil James, an emeritus professor of employment relations at Middlesex University said the latest figures were “disturbing”. He told TCE: “They fit uncomfortably with the self-regulatory philosophy underpinning the Health and Safety at Work Act and the importance of transparency to its operationalisation.

“Regulators like the HSE should be publicly accountable for their performance. Indeed, the figures raise obvious questions regarding HSE’s commitment to such accountability.”

Janet Newsham, chair of the Hazards Campaign, told TCE she was “shocked to see that the HSE is failing to respond adequately to FOI requests.

“Workers need a fully functional and transparent regulatory authority, that will ensure their health, safety and welfare in an ever increasingly hostile working environment is protected. The HSE is a public body and must be open to public scrutiny.”

An HSE spokesperson responded: “We comply with FOI legislation, applying exemptions only where relevant and appropriate.”

Limited resources

HSE’s budget has remained constrained for years, standing at £216m (US$288m) in 2023/24 – around 5% lower than in 2010, not accounting for inflation.  

Meanwhile, the number of criminal prosecutions brought by the agency fell from 521 in 2017/18 to 248 in 2023/24, while the total number of site inspections dropped from 19,586 to 14,700. In the same period, the average number of full-time equivalent members of staff has broadly stayed the same, as has the total number of inspectors, while the number of “other professional or specialist staff” has increased by nearly 50%.