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| Click here to quickly escape this website...  Freedom of Information The 2000 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT came into force on January 1st 2005. It was intended to invoke greater public trust in public bodies and promote open government. The Act allows you to request that any public organization discloses information it has on any subject you specify within 20 working days, via your preferred format, and prohibits the organization from declining this request*. You have the right to remain anonymous, and you are not required to explain why you have requested the information. The Act refers to retrospective material, and not just that generated since the Act. In the context of criminal justice, examples of such application have included victims requesting disclosure of which prisons are holding their offenders and their release dates, and more widely reported in the media, the identity and criminal background of paedophiles in their community. Readers are warned however, that acquiring the information and disclosing it publicly are two separate actions, and the latter may render one liable to civil or criminal prosecution. justice4victims.org strongly recommends anybody intending to take such action studies the Act very carefully, as we will do in each case of such action we are requested to participate in (any users found to be attempting to slander or defame the character of unconvicted individuals will be permanently banned from interacting with the website, and we will co-operate with police if criminal action ensues). *Exemptions There are cases where disclosure is not mandatory (although acknowledgement of applications is). 'Absolute exemptions' include court records, matters of national security, some parliamentary affairs, and disclosures which are deemed to contradict the 1998 DATA PROTECTION ACT, and Section 6 of the 1998 HUMAN RIGHTS ACT. 'Qualified exemptions' require a judgement to be made by an Information Commissioner - in such cases an extension is likely to be made to the 20 day deadline. A request is likely to be denied where its disclosure is predicted to prejudice public interest/public safety, or the benefits of its retention are deemed to outweigh the benefits of its disclosure (for example, in cases such as requests for offender identities mentioned above, it may be considered that the risk to the subject's safety outweighs the public interest in disclosure, or that such disclosure may hinder ongoing official investigations/operations). You can appeal against a refusal to the Information Commissioner, who can force disclosure if he finds in your favour; if not, you can appeal further to the Independent Information Tribunal. Much information is chargeable, so check individual organizations' websites for their Freedom of Information policy. For more information about the Act and its procedures, or to make an application for disclosure, visit: | |
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