Freedom of information in the United Kingdom

Freedom of information in the United Kingdom

Freedom of information legislation in the United Kingdom is controlled by two Acts of the United Kingdom and Scottish Parliaments respectively, which both came into force on 1 January 2005.

* Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the "2000 Act")
* Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 ("the 2002 Act" or "the Scottish Act")

Information can also be obtained under the Environmental Information Regulations.

As a large number of public bodies in Scotland (for example, educational bodies) are controlled by the Scottish Parliament, the 2000 Act would not apply to them, and thus a second Act of the Scottish Parliament was required. It should, however, be noted that the scope of the two Acts is effectively identical - the types of public bodies covered in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are also covered in Scotland - and the requirements are almost identical, though the Scottish Act has slightly stronger phrasing in favour of disclosing information.

The 2000 Act does not extend to public bodies in the overseas territories or crown dependencies. Some of these have contemplated implementing their own legislation, though none is currently in force.

History

In 1977, a draft Freedom of Information and Privacy Bill was circulated; this was shorter and simpler than the later Acts, and also included privacy legislation. Later versions were occasionally suggested by opposition parties, and it became a manifesto commitment for the Labour Party at the 1997 general election. This promised to introduce some form of freedom of information legislation in line with other western nations.

A schedule for compliance was arranged at the time of the 2000 Act, and then for the 2002 Act, with timescales arranged so that both would come into full force on the same date - 1 January 2005. This reduced confusion and ambiguities, but the delay in passing an Act in Scotland pushed back the final implementation by some time. As a result, a manifesto promise from the 1997 election was finally fulfilled just in time for the 2005 election.

In 2007, the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill was introduced as a private members bill in the House of the Commons by the Conservative MP David Maclean. The bill proposed to exempt MPs and Peers from the provisions of the 2000 Act, but whilst it successfully completed its passage in the Commons, [ [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200607/freedom_of_information_amendment.htm Houses of Parliament - Public Bills - Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2006-07] ] it failed to progress through the House of Lords after failing to find a sponsor. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/jun/13/freedomofinformation.uk The Guardian - Bill curbing FoI fails to find sponsor in Lords] ]

Form

Both Acts contain lengthy schedules defining, implicitly or explicitly, the public bodies which are covered by the legislation.

Effects

Under this Act, a RFI could be submitted online through the web site of a local authority by a citizen to obtain details about a neighbourhood.

ee also

* Freedom of information legislation
* Campaign for Freedom of Information
* Information Commissioner's Office (UK)
* Scottish Information Commissioner

References

External links

* [http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000036.htm Stationery Office text of the Freedom of Information 2000 Act]
* [http://www.scotland-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2002/20020013.htm Stationery Office text of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) 2002 Act]
*"Freedom of Information and Privacy Bill". London: Parliamentary Stationery Office, 1977
* [http://www.ico.gov.uk Information Commissioner's website]
* [http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/ What Do They Know: a website for sending requests in public for UK government information]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom — The Bahá í Faith in the United Kingdom started with the earliest mentions of the predecessor of the Bahá í Faith, the Báb, in British newspapers. Some of the first British people who became members of the Bahá í Faith include George Townshend and …   Wikipedia

  • Classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom — The classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom has attracted controversy in the past: particularly at the time of the 2001 Census where the existence and nature of such a classification, which appeared on the Census form, became more… …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom of information legislation — Freedom of Information Act redirects here. For other uses, see FOIA (disambiguation). Freedom of information legislation comprises laws that guarantee access to data held by the state. They establish a right to know legal process by which… …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom of information — (or information freedom) may refer to the accessibility of government held information (Freedom of information legislation and Open government), or the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information… …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of the United Kingdom — …   Wikipedia

  • Latin American migration to the United Kingdom — For Latin Americans of British descent, see British Latin American. Latin American migration to the United Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom — This article discusses types of Acts and the process of law making in Parliament. For a list of legislation see List of Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom United Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom — A licensing notice, often displayed above an entrance. Licensing laws of the United Kingdom regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol, with separate legislation for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland being passed, as necessary,… …   Wikipedia

  • Freedom of Information Act 2000 — See Freedom of information in the United Kingdom for a general discussion of freedom of information legislation throughout the United Kingdom. For the 2007 amendment bill see Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill . Infobox UK Legislation short… …   Wikipedia

  • Census in the United Kingdom — The United Kingdom has taken a census of its population every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941 (during the Second World War). In addition to providing a wealth of interesting information about aspects of the make up of the country …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”