On 1 January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act came into force. Originally passed in November 2000, the Act followed the publication of the White Paper ‘Your Right to Know’ (1997), and is designed to develop a culture of openness, transparency and accountability in the UK’s public sector bodies. Public authorities have already published details of the types of information which will be released, and more will be available on request.
The Act effectively provides any member of the public with the opportunity to request information from public authorities which are then obliged to provide such information (within 20 days). Under the Act, citizens have a statutory right to view information, such as records, held by Government departments and public bodies such as local police forces, hospitals and schools. Areas which are likely to be of interest to the public are: a public sector organisation’s decision-making process, its main duties and the way in which it spends public money.
Although there are some costs associated with requests for information, the Government has introduced a simple system to allow the exchange of information between public bodies and the public under the Act. For most requests, there will be no charge for search and collation, and any fees (such as printing, photocopying and postage), will be simple and easy to administer. However, public bodies may refuse to answer a request on the grounds of cost.
For more information, go to the following:
