This report provided a general introduction to freedom of information.
Topics covered in the report included the role that publication schemes
play in the UK’s freedom of information regime; the rights of applicants;
the handling of freedom of information requests; complaints procedures;
the exemptions; fees and charges; the importance of having good records
management systems and procedures in place; and the interface between data
protection and freedom of information.
The right of access to information under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 comes into effect in January 2005, and public bodies need to be
geared up for the full implementation of the Act. Whilst the Freedom of
Information legislation covers public authorities, nevertheless the
legislation will also have an impact on the private sector; and the report
considers the implications of the legislation for business.
The report provided the reader with details of additional resources on
freedom of information in the form of a bibliography, details of relevant
discussion lists; useful websites; relevant weblogs; training providers
and multimedia training materials on freedom of information.
To see a sample, view the Sample PDF (requires Adobe Acrobat).
Testimonials
"I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of this report. It was extremely informative, well laid out & indexed and good value for money.".
"It was excellent, informative and worth every penny".
"Ideal overview for the uninitiated".
"With regard to the above report we have found it very informative and excellent value for money. We found the ordering online quick and easy and were most impressed with the prompt way in which we received both the document and the invoice, the same day."
Table of Contents
| | Page Disclaimer | 2 |
| | Biographical Note | 4 |
| 1) | Introduction | 5 |
| 1.1 | drivers for openness | 5 |
| 1.2 | duties and responsibilities of public authorities | 6 |
| 1.3 | role of the Information Commissioner | 6 |
| 1.4 | role of the Department for Constitutional Affairs | 6 |
| 1.5 | critical success factors | 6 |
| 2) | Publication Schemes | 7 |
| 2.1 | The timetable for adopting publication schemes | 8 |
| 3) | Rights of applicants | 9 |
| 3.1 | General right of access to information | 9 |
| 3.2 | Right of access to unstructured personal data | 9 |
| 3.3 | Right of appeal | 10 |
| 4) | Handling freedom of information requests | 11 |
| 4.1 | Sample freedom of information requests | 12 |
| 5) | Fees & Charges | 12 |
| 5.1 | Publication schemes | 12 |
| 5.2 | Freedom of information requests | 13 |
| 6) | Records Management | 13 |
| 7) | Exemptions | 15 |
| 7.1 | The public interest test | 15 |
| 8) | Complaints | 16 |
| 9) | Criminal offences | 17 |
| 10) | Copyright and freedom of information | 18 |
| 11) | Freedom of Information and Data Protection | 19 |
| 12) | The implications for business | 20 |
| 13) | Existing schemes for providing access to information | 21 |
| 13.1 | Code of practice on access to government information | 21 |
| 13.2 | Code of practice on openness in the NHS | 21 |
| 13.3 | Access to local government information | 22 |
| 13.4 | Data Protection Act and “accessible records” | 23 |
| 13.5 | Access to information under the Environmental Information Regulations | 23 |
| 13.6 | European information | 24 |
| 14) | Summary | 25 |
| 15) | Relevant legislation | 25 |
| 15.1 | Relevant legislation – Scotland | 26 |
| 16) | Bibliography | 26 |
| 17) | Further sources of information on records management | 29 |
| 18) | Discussion lists | 29 |
| 19) | Useful websites | 30 |
| 20) | Weblogs | 30 |
| 21) | Freedom of Information Training | 30 |
| 22) | Multimedia training materials on freedom of information | 31 |
NB: The author is not a lawyer and purchase of the report does not constitute legal advice.
The basics are outlined in the article "10 things you should know about the UK's Freedom of Information regime", FreePint No.153.
|
