Information we do not hold

Generally speaking, Parliament only holds information relating to our role as a law-making body.

We often receive requests for information that we do not hold and that is instead likely to be held by another organisation or person.

For this reason, we recommend that you check to see if we are likely to hold the information you are seeking. It could be the case that it is actually held by the Government, your local council or your Member of Parliament.

The list below shows the most common cases where requests for information we receive should instead be directed elsewhere.

For information on:	Please go to:	Reason:
The work of the government, such as policy-making and implementation, or the work of individual government ministers	The relevant government department	Government and Parliament are separate, and we do not have routine access to the information they hold.
The work of local councils, such as planning, waste collection and council housing	The relevant local council	Parliament does not have routine access to information held by local government bodies. Please note that we cannot mediate or intervene in any issues you may be experiencing in your local area. We recommend you instead contact your local MP or councillor.
The work of the devolved Parliaments and Assemblies	Either the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru or the Northern Ireland Assembly	The devolved Parliaments and Assemblies elsewhere in the UK are separate from the UK Parliament.
MP’s pay and expenses	The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)	The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) is responsible for processing the salaries and expenses claims of Members and their staff.
MP’s pensions	The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF)	Members’ pensions are administered by the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund. The Fund is not part of the House of Commons and not a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The work of Members of Parliament, such as their constituency activity, casework, and political activity, or their personal lives, including their qualifications or healthcare arrangements	Members of Parliament	Members of Parliament are not employees of the House of Commons and the amount of information we hold about them is limited. They have a similar status as self-employed persons. They are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that we cannot mediate or intervene in any issues you may be experiencing in your local area. We recommend you instead contact your local MP or councillor.
The work of Members of the House of Lords (Peers), such as their political activity, or their personal lives, including their qualifications or healthcare arrangements	Members of the House of Lords	Peers are not employees of the House of Lords and the information we hold about them is limited. They have a similar status as self-employed persons. They are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Correspondence between Members of either House and third parties, or information or correspondence relating to a Members’ private business or in relation to any role they may have outside either House	Members of Parliament or Members of the House of Lords	Members of either House are not employees and the amount of information we hold about them is limited. They have a similar status as self-employed persons. They are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
The work of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)	All-Party Parliamentary Groups	All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal cross-party groups formed of Members of each House. They are separate entities from both Houses of Parliament. They are therefore not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Pooled staffing services, such as the Parliamentary Research Service, the Policy Research Unit and the European Research Group	The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA)	Information about expense claims made by Members for subscriptions to pooled staffing services is held by IPSA.
Political parties, including their policies and personnel	Each political party	Political parties are separate organisations to the Houses of Parliament, and we do not have routine access to the information they hold.
Elections and political finance	The Electoral Commission	Elections and political finance in the UK, including donations made to parties and campaigners, are regulated by the Electoral Commission.
The Police	The relevant Police service	Parliament does not have routine access to information held by any Police service, including the Metropolitan Police Service.
Freemasons	Members may choose to disclose this information as part of their registration of interests. You may also wish to ask individual Members.	Members of Parliament are not employees of the House of Commons and the amount of information we hold about them is limited. They have a similar status as self-employed persons. They are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Questions of legal interpretation	A suitably qualified legal professional, such as a solicitor, or an advice organisation, such as Citizen's Advice.	We cannot provide legal advice, such as legal interpretation of Acts of Parliament, because this is not an obligation under the Freedom of Information Act.

You may also wish to consider consulting other parts of Parliament, instead of making a Freedom of Information request:

The House of Commons Enquiry Service – for general questions about the House of Commons
House of Lords Communications – for general questions about the House of Lords
The Parliamentary Archives – for access to archived material held by both Houses of Parliament