Finnish municipalities struggle to meet rising information requests

Municipalities across Finland are receiving more and broader information requests, making it harder to respond within required deadlines, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities says. Ähtäri has received 49 requests by the end of September this year, compared with 40 during all of last year, Yle reports.

Ähtäri City Council decided on Monday to hire a temporary staff member to handle requests for the rest of this year and next year. The city’s workload has also increased because of a municipal merger review.

City manager Perttu Sonninen said requests from private individuals had risen in Ähtäri. The increase is also evident in many other municipalities, according to the association. Its director for digitalisation and the information society, Elisa Kettunen, said the use of artificial intelligence to prepare requests had contributed to their growing number and scope.

Municipalities must respond to ordinary information requests within two weeks. They have one month to handle requests that are extensive and labour-intensive. If a municipality refuses to provide information, for example because it is confidential, it must respond without delay and explain the reason.

In Ähtäri, the municipal merger review has contributed to the increase, Sonninen said, particularly in requests from individual residents and elected officials. He added that requests unrelated to the review had also become more common, and often concern subjects covered by the media.

Requests include those made under Finland’s public access legislation and requests under the General Data Protection Regulation for people to inspect personal information held in records. These can concern an individual’s own data or information about their children.

Kettunen said some municipalities had seen a sharp rise: one municipality in Savo reported that its number of requests had tripled in three years. Municipalities have also noted more requests from minors seeking access to their own personal data.

Requests are increasingly detailed and legally reasoned, Kettunen said. Sonninen said the volume is putting pressure on municipal officials and taking time away from their regular work.