If you don’t use it, you won’t lose it
If you think about FOI as a children’s colouring book (just go with me on this), the lines were drawn by the legislation. The decisions of the Information Commissioner, Information Tribunals, and the...
View ArticleExemptions
Exemptions have always been contentious. FOI Man provides a glimpse behind the scenes of how the decision to apply them is taken. Back in the early noughties, when I was nought but an FOI Boy, the BBC...
View ArticleKeeping 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. Today’s Daily Telegraph features a story about...
View ArticleWhy the public interest test is so important
Most exemptions are subject to a public interest test. But why is it so important to ensuring that the Freedom of Information Act works? If you make FOI requests, you probably hate it when public...
View ArticleTake it Online
FOI Man explains that online discussion between FOI Officers is part of the job, not a nationwide conspiracy. I’ve become aware of a new form of twisted corruption that FOI Officers are prey to. And...
View ArticleShould Cabinet minutes remain in the closet?
FOI Man challenges the claims of the Lord G.O.D. and his exalted predecessors that FOI threatens good government. Just before Christmas, the outgoing Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell, known...
View ArticleShould a public body disclose details of requests made by a named individual?
FOI Man looks at whether a named individual’s FOI requests should be published or disclosed. Guardian writer Ben Goldacre asked on Twitter whether public authorities are able to publish or disclose...
View ArticleIn defence of the exemption
FOI Man suggests that we should view the use of exemptions, and even decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunal, in a different light. It’s a common shorthand in media stories about FOI...
View ArticleA warning shot across the bows?
FOI Man considers the immediate impact of the Justice Select Committee’s report on FOI – on the Information Commissioner. Before taking a break to follow the marvellous Olympic and Paralympic action, I...
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