ferthive.blogg.se - Freedome of information act

"Unnecessary secrecy in government leads to arrogance in governance and defective decision-making." - Your Right to KnowĪccess to official information can also improve public confidence and trust if government and public sector bodies are seen as being open. Access to information helps the public make public authorities accountable for their actions and allows public debate to be better informed and more productive. Public authorities spend money collected from taxpayers, and make decisions that can significantly affect many people’s lives. At last there is a government ready to trust the people with a legal right to information." This White Paper marks a watershed in the relationship between the government and people of the United Kingdom. "Openness is fundamental to the political health of a modern state. In the white paper Your Right to Know, the government explained that the aim was a more open government based on mutual trust.

The government first published proposals for freedom of information in 1997. What is the Freedom of Information Act for?

What other laws may we need to take into account when applying the Act?.

How does the Act affect copyright and intellectual property?.

How does the Act affect data protection?.

What do we need to tell people about the Act?.

When is information covered by the Act?.

What are the principles behind the Act?.

What is the Freedom of Information Act for?.

If a member of the public wants to see information that a public authority holds about them, they should make a data protection subject access request. The Act does not give people access to their own personal data (information about themselves) such as their health records or credit reference file. Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings. For example, it does not cover some charities that receive grants and certain private sector organisations that perform public functions.

However, the Act does not necessarily cover every organisation that receives public money. Public authorities include government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools and police forces. Information held by Scottish public authorities is covered by Scotland’s own Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland. members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities and.The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities.