A public inquiry request
A worked Rule 9 or section 21 response: legacy system mapping, phased collection, redaction of personal data and staged production to the inquiry, with a timeline, what shapes the cost and the questions counsel ask.
A Rule 9 request reaches a public body for material spanning eleven years, held across a current Microsoft 365 tenant, two decommissioned email systems, a case management database and archived paper. The inquiry expects a phased response with a clear account of what could not be recovered.
This page sets out what happens at each stage and the questions counsel ask before instructing. Fees are assessed case by case and quoted in writing.
§ Timeline
What happens, and when
- Week 1 to 2
Hold and system mapping
Hold notices to current and, where possible, former staff, then map every system that may hold responsive material, including backups, archives and systems already decommissioned.
- Week 3 to 4
Feasibility and phasing
Test what can actually be restored from the legacy systems and at what cost, and propose a phased response to the inquiry team with the highest value material first.
- Week 5 to 10
Collection and restoration
Collect from the live tenant, restore legacy mail stores and database extracts, and scan the paper archive where the request reaches it.
- Week 8 to 16
Review and redaction
Relevance review against the Rule 9 schedule, with redaction of personal data, and separate handling for anything attracting privilege or a restriction order.
- Rolling
Phased production
Produce in the inquiry's format, with a document schedule per phase and a witness statement covering the search performed.
- Throughout
Gaps and assurance
Record what could not be recovered and why, with the technical evidence behind it. Inquiries take gaps seriously and expect an evidenced explanation, not silence.
§ Fees
What each stage covers
We do not publish rates. Every matter is assessed and quoted individually, because scope, data volume and urgency differ in every case. After the first call you get a written stage by stage quotation, and we do not move to the next stage without your approval.
| Stage | What it covers |
|---|---|
| System mapping | Interviews, system inventory and a written map of where material sits. |
| Legacy restoration | Backup and archive restoration, format conversion and reconciliation. |
| Collection | Live tenant, database extracts and scanning of paper within scope. |
| Processing and hosting | De-duplication, indexing and hosting across the life of the inquiry. |
| Review and redaction | Relevance review, personal data redaction and restriction order handling. |
| Phased production | Inquiry format, phase schedules and the search statement. |
§ FAQs
Questions counsel ask
- The systems are decommissioned. Is that a defence?
- Only if it is evidenced. Inquiries expect a technical account of what was tried and why recovery failed. We produce that record alongside whatever is recovered.
- How do we handle personal data of service users?
- Redaction runs as part of review, with a documented rule set and sampling. Where volumes are large, automated detection is validated by hand before it is relied on.
- Can the work be phased to spread cost across financial years?
- Yes, and inquiries usually accept a phased plan if the highest value material comes first. We build the phasing to match both the inquiry's priorities and your budget cycle.
- What does a Rule 9 response cost?
- Inquiry work is costed phase by phase and agreed before each phase starts, since legacy restoration and redaction volume vary enormously between responses.
Public sector and inquiries →Identification →Review →
§ From the Case Builder blog
- Scoping extended disclosure so it does not run away
A working method for Practice Direction 57AD: agree the issues, sample before you promise, and keep the search narrow enough to defend.
- What a judge expects from a disclosure witness statement
The statement supporting your search, collection and review decisions is the document that gets tested. Write it for the court, not for the file.
Bring us in early.
Defensibility is built, not retrofitted.
Whether you are responding to a regulator, preparing for disclosure, or scoping an internal investigation, start the chain of custody with a short, confidential conversation.