U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of the Associate Attorney General
August 19, 1993
The Vice President
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510Dear Mr. Vice President:
Enclosed is a copy of the Department of Justice's 1992 annual report on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) activities, which we regret to be forwarding at this late date in the year due to transition-related delays. This report covers the FOIA activities of all Department of Justice organizations. Because the Department, as a matter of administrative discretion, processes all requests received under the Privacy Act of 1974 (requests by individuals for access to records relating to themselves) under the FOIA as well as under the Privacy Act, the enclosed report covers all first-party and third-party access requests received by the Department regardless of the particular Act cited by the requester.
A comparison of the report with the Department's 1991 report shows that in 1992 the Department received 16,889 more FOIA requests and 516 fewer Privacy Act requests than during the previous year, an annual increase of 16,373 total requests (15.4%). Reported costs increased by 11.6% in 1992.
The administration of the Freedom of Information Act consumes considerable agency resources. Calendar year 1992 costs are reported at page 22 of the report. This cost table primarily reflects those costs incurred in "processing" access requests. Not included are significant costs incurred by the Department in litigating FOIA issues for the United States Government.
I want to assure you of this Administration's strong commitment to the Freedom of Information Act, to its underlying principles, and to its full and faithful implementation. We look forward to working together with Congress, in a constructive partnership based upon our mutual interests in sound FOIA administration, on all matters pertaining to the Act.
Sincerely,
Webster L. Hubbell
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