Public Affairs 2.0 Flashcards
What is the FOI act called?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000
When did the act come into effect?
The act came into effect 2000.
What does an FOI provide?
An FOI request provides the public to information held by public authorities
Does a FOI request cost?
An FOI is free but is subject to cost limits
What two ways does an FOI request achieve its objective?
The freedom of information act 2000 achieves its objective two ways. Public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities.
Members of the public can request information from public authorities
Broadly speaking, what does the act cover?
The act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales, Northern Island and UK wide authorities in Scotland.
How many public authorities are covered?
100,000 major and minor public authorities
What are examples of public authorities that are covered?
government departments, local authorities, the NHS, state schools, armed forces, Ofcom, the GMC (general medical council), police/fire services, companies- entirely owned by local authorities
What counts as recorded information?
Printed documents, emails, photographs, letters, video or sound recordings. only information held counts
What was the 2012 amendment?
In 2012, an amendment to the FOI act meant that data sets can be sent in reusable electronic form
Who is not covered?
Security and intellegence agencies, courts and tribunals, housing associations, charity and private prisons, mps and peers as individuals and harbour authorities
How long should it take for a response from an FOI request?
A public authority should respond within 20 working days by supplying the information requested
What are three reasons why an FOI might be declined?
-the authority does not hold the information
-information is exempt from disclosure
-too costly, it exceeds the cost limit for free provision
What should you do before making an FOI?
Approach the FOI official, the FOI official should help you frame requests before you submit and provide you with advice on how to minimise costs.
What is the break down of FOI cost?
£600 if it is a government department
£450 if is a public authority
£25 per hour find and retrieve
What should journalists be specific about when submitting an FOI request?
-Break requests down to limit size/seek advice
-60 day aggregation risk
What are absolute exemptions?
Absolute exemptions-
-Information reasonably accessible by other
-Security matters
-Court records
-Disclosure forbidden by law
-Personal information in confidence by another party
What is qualified exemption?
Information may be withheld if the public interest in withholding is greater than the public interest in disclosing.
What is the steps of the process a journalist can take if an FOI is refused or there is no response?
20 days+ if there is no response or a refusal after the 20 day period.
20-40 days request for an internal review from a different official
40+ days appeal to the information commissioner
28 days+ after IC decision. First tier tribunal
Decision online
