Freedom of information

Introduction

We have a statutory duty to meet obligations as set out within the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.

Aim  

The aim of this policy is to ensure we meet our obligations when receiving requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.  

Scope  

This policy applies to:  

  • all recorded information including official documents, drafts, emails, notes, and audio and video recordings
  • information held by us or on our behalf

Training and awareness

We will provide training to all staff to ensure they maintain a good awareness of FOI and EIR.

Principles

People have a right to know about our activities, unless there is a good reason for them not to.

An applicant (requester) is not required to provide a reason for requesting information. We, however, must justify any refusal to comply with a request.

We will treat all requests for information equally. However, there may be some exceptions for vexatious requests and personal data.

We will treat all requesters equally regardless of who they are.

Publication scheme

We will aim to publish:

  • information on our website proactively via a publication scheme
  • responses to previous FOI and EIR requests via a disclosure log on our website