because you should treat all requesters equally, you should only disclose information under the Act if you would disclose it to anyone else who asked.You should treat all requesters equally, whether they are journalists, local residents, public authority employees, or foreign researchers and The information someone can get under the Act should not be affected by who they are. you must treat all requests for information equally, except under some circumstances relating to vexatious requests and personal data (see When can we refuse a request? for details on these).On the contrary, you must justify refusing them information an applicant (requester) does not need to give you a reason for wanting the information.Disclosure of information should be the default – in other words, information should be kept private only when there is a good reason and it is permitted by the Act everybody has a right to access official information.The Act is also sometimes described as purpose and applicant blind. This is sometimes described as a presumption or assumption in favour of disclosure. The main principle behind freedom of information legislation is that people have a right to know about the activities of public authorities, unless there is a good reason for them not to. What are the principles behind the Freedom of Information Act? In a 2011 survey carried out on behalf of the Information Commissioner’s Office, 81% of public bodies questioned agreed that the Act had increased the public’s trust in their organisation. '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.

Freedom of information act