How to Challenge a Refusal

Where the organisation refuses a request in whole or in part, the response tells the person they can seek a remedy from the Information Commissioner's Office or a court.

Criterion: H2
Level: Level 1
Domain: Redaction and Exemptions
Reflects: Article 12(4)

Intent

A person told no needs to know they can take it further. Left unsaid, a refusal reads as final.

How to test it

An assessor scores the criterion against a single response:

Score 2: The response tells the person they can seek a remedy from the Information Commissioner's Office or a court.
Score 1: The response names either the Information Commissioner's Office or a court, but not both.
Score 0: The response refuses the request without saying the person can seek a remedy.
Not applicable: The organisation did not refuse the request in whole or in part.

The law it reflects

This criterion reflects Article 12(4) of the UK GDPR. That mapping is a guide, not a legal test: conformance is judged against the criterion, not the article.

See H2 in context in the full standard.