Freedom of Information
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act’) was passed on 30 November 2000. The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner (see below at paragraph 41 for address) who also has responsibility for data protection issues. NALC has issued several legal briefings (e.g. relating to fees and certain exemptions) with respect to the application of the Act to local councils and these should also be referred to.
The Act places a duty on public authorities to adopt and maintain publication schemes which must be approved by the Information Commissioner. Such schemes must set out:
- the types of information the authority publishes,
- the manner in which the information is published, and
- details of any charges.