Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to pay to access the system?
- Food Business not listed?
- How does the search mechanism work?
- How is the award scheme calculated?
- How is the risk rating calculated?
- I can't get past where I accept the disclaimer?
- Where does this information come from?
- Which Restaurant details are listed?
Q: Do I have to pay to access the system?
A: No. Councils subscribe to the service and provide the information free-of-charge to the Public as part of their obligations under FoI.
Food Business not listed?Q: What if my local Council does subscribe to the service, but the Restaurant I am interested in is still not listed?
A: It may be that no Inspection information is available (for example if the Food Business was new), or that details have not been uploaded yet. In certain cases, your local Council might decide to withhold details from the site. This might happen, for example, if there was a prosecution case pending. Contact your local Environment Health department for more information.
How does the search mechanism work?Q: Do I have to enter something into every box? Can I enter part of a name etc?
A: You can enter as much or as little information (including none for a full search) into the search boxes as you like. The more information you enter, the more targeted the search. The less you enter, the more results you should get back.
How is the award scheme calculated?Q: Different councils seem to have different schemes, star ratings etc. How do I know what these mean?
A: If you click on the name of the award scheme (you will see an underline appear) then an explanation of the award scheme should appear in a seperate box.
How is the risk rating calculated?Q: The risk rating is displayed as a letter, but this does not seem to correlate to the level of the award scheme.
A: If you click on the words "Risk Rating" an explanation of what the letters mean will appear.
I can't get past where I accept the disclaimer?Q: After selecting a restaurant, the system shows a disclaimer with two choices - accept or do not accept and understand the disclaimer. But no matter how often I click on these, it just brings me back to the same place.
A: Either a) your browser is set to disallow cookies, or b) your site administrator has applied strong security measures. If a) you need to temporarily enable cookies to view this data. [You can disable them again and delete the cookie straight afterwards if you wish]. If b) contact your site administrator and request that access is permitted to the site.
Where does this information come from?Q: Where does this information come from?
A: The information is a subset of the data held by Councils relating to Food Hygiene Inspections. Please note that TransparencyData assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided. If you believe the information is incorrect in any way, please contact the relevant Environmental Health department.
Which Restaurant details are listed?Q: Which Restaurant details are listed?
A: Only those within the catchment area of those Councils which subscribe to the service. If the restaurant you are interested in is not shown, then you can make a request to your local council for disclosure of Inspection records under FoI.
