Freedom of Information
Under the Freedom of Information act, public
organisations are required to reveal information relating
to them, as the country pays taxes for that organisation to
perform. This was evident in 2021 when Boris Johnson
spent £2.6 million renovating Downing Street without
consulting the public, the information was announced
when reporters requested the information under the act.
“Any person can request (and receive) information from a
public body, subject to certain exemptions. This does not
apply only to paper files, but also information on videos
and tapes: “information recorded in any form.” There is
an estimated 100,000 requests a year.
The FOIA act
- Promoting accountability and transparency
- Furthering an understanding and participation in the public debate of issues
- Allowing individuals and companies to understand decisions by public organisations which
affect their everyday life.
- In 2010, the Central Government, ‘Whitehall’, refused to answer 25% of FOI requests, a
number which has supposedly risen to 41%.
Examples of FOI requests which have answered public curiosity:
1. Pothole Britain: 49,000 people demand compensation for damage caused to vehicles by
worn-out roads: Daily Mirror
2. Clare’s Law: 1,300 domestic abuse disclosures made: BBC News
3. BBC accused of ‘spying’ after nearly 150 staff emails accessed or monitored: The Guardian
4. Prison Service spends over £2,500 on funeral for child-killer: ITV News
5. Two children aged 7 and 8 suspected of rape as figures reveal almost 1000 alleged child
criminals last year: Manchester Evening News
6. NHS gives contraceptives to girls aged 10: The Times
7. 17: British police take 67 return flights to Portugal as cost of Madeleine McCann search nears
£9 million: Daily Mail
8. Exclusive: Mental illness is the most common reason for sick days at the Department of
Health: City AM
9. Cabinet office in child abuse cover-up: Daily Mail
10. Rising numbers of hospital patients so fed up they discharge themselves: The Telegraph
11. Night in a prison cell costs more than a night at the Ritz hotel: Daily Mirror
Organisations not covered includes: MI5, MI6, GCHQ and The Royal Family
There are two forms of FOI exemption
- Absolute: eg security services. They have no duty to confirm or deny that any information
exists.
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Under the Freedom of Information act, public
organisations are required to reveal information relating
to them, as the country pays taxes for that organisation to
perform. This was evident in 2021 when Boris Johnson
spent £2.6 million renovating Downing Street without
consulting the public, the information was announced
when reporters requested the information under the act.
“Any person can request (and receive) information from a
public body, subject to certain exemptions. This does not
apply only to paper files, but also information on videos
and tapes: “information recorded in any form.” There is
an estimated 100,000 requests a year.
The FOIA act
- Promoting accountability and transparency
- Furthering an understanding and participation in the public debate of issues
- Allowing individuals and companies to understand decisions by public organisations which
affect their everyday life.
- In 2010, the Central Government, ‘Whitehall’, refused to answer 25% of FOI requests, a
number which has supposedly risen to 41%.
Examples of FOI requests which have answered public curiosity:
1. Pothole Britain: 49,000 people demand compensation for damage caused to vehicles by
worn-out roads: Daily Mirror
2. Clare’s Law: 1,300 domestic abuse disclosures made: BBC News
3. BBC accused of ‘spying’ after nearly 150 staff emails accessed or monitored: The Guardian
4. Prison Service spends over £2,500 on funeral for child-killer: ITV News
5. Two children aged 7 and 8 suspected of rape as figures reveal almost 1000 alleged child
criminals last year: Manchester Evening News
6. NHS gives contraceptives to girls aged 10: The Times
7. 17: British police take 67 return flights to Portugal as cost of Madeleine McCann search nears
£9 million: Daily Mail
8. Exclusive: Mental illness is the most common reason for sick days at the Department of
Health: City AM
9. Cabinet office in child abuse cover-up: Daily Mail
10. Rising numbers of hospital patients so fed up they discharge themselves: The Telegraph
11. Night in a prison cell costs more than a night at the Ritz hotel: Daily Mirror
Organisations not covered includes: MI5, MI6, GCHQ and The Royal Family
There are two forms of FOI exemption
- Absolute: eg security services. They have no duty to confirm or deny that any information
exists.
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