Week 2

1.   The UK needs a Freedom of Information Act because everyone should have a right to the wealth of information held by public authorities. It will also make public authorities more accountable and will break down the culture of official secrecy
2. The statutory timescale for answering a request is 20 working days
3. The primary purpose of FOI legislation is to create transparency within government and make public authorities accountable to the public
4. Requests for information under the Act can be made by any person provided that they are the subject of that information
5. If a public authority requests a fee, they do not have to respond to the request until the fee is paid
6. An authority does not have to comply with a repeat or similar request from the same applicant unless a reasonable interval has elapsed between requests
7. When determining a request a Public Authority must consider whether the request is valid
8. the FOIA override the DPA when personal data is in the public interest