HMRC received 1,288 freedom of information requests in 2008, said Stephen Timms in reply to a Parliamentary written question.
Of these, 174 were classified as non-resolvable, mainly because the Revenue did not hold the information requested or had to ask the requestor to clarify what he/she wanted.
Information was withheld in another 312 cases, due mostly to the queries relating to specific taxpaying individuals and companies.