 The guiding principle of the Act is that information should be made available unless there is good reason for withholding it.Requests to Government Departments or State agencies for information must be answered "as soon as reasonably practicable", and within 20 working days.If an agency declines to provide the information, it must provide a reason and advise the requester that they have the right to ask the Ombudsman to investigate whether or not that decision is justified under the provisions of the Act.