Keeping secrets secret
The Daily Telegraph has highlighted the tricky issue of redaction. FOI Man reflects on the perhaps surprising difficulties of blanking out a bit of text.
Exemptions
Exemptions have always been contentious. FOI Man provides a glimpse behind the scenes of how the decision to apply them is taken.
Is a reply within 15 days “as soon as possible”?
A local authority disclosed information requested through EIR within 15 days. But the Commissioner has ruled that they failed to answer the request “as soon as possible”, even though they answered well within 20 working days.
Keep the politics out of FOI
The Leader of Kirklees Council has been accused of vetting and altering FOI responses from his council. FOI Man thinks that politicians should keep out of answering FOI requests for their own good.
Public Data Vs FOI?
FOI Man welcomes Government moves to improve transparency across the public sector. But a more pro-active approach to publication of data mustn’t be used as justification for (or a smokescreen for) weakening the right to make requests for information through the Freedom of Information Act.
Why I will be filling in my Census form
This coming Sunday, 27 March 2011, is Census Day in the UK. FOI Man explains why he’ll be completing his census and why he feels uneasy about calls to boycott it.