July/August 2024

Volume 20, Issue 6

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Landmark case scrutinising use of AI under FOIA

• Major political parties silent on FOI before and after General Election

• Attempt to withhold information about neighbourhood scheme fails on public interest

• Board’s failure to engage with complainant significant factor in request not meeting vexatiousness threshold

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• The benefits of proactive publication - Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - Verity Bell, Conerstone Barristers

• Book review - Robin Hopkins, 11 KBW

May/June 2024

Volume 20, Issue 5

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Contempt of court referrals will be made, says FOI Director

• Regulator asks for feedback on FOI resources

• Latest figures show UK government hits record low for FOI

• Cambridgeshire County Council ordered to release names after active travel FOI appeal

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• FOIA or EIRs - when and what difference it makes - Liz Fitzsimons, Anna Allen and Varun Shingari, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - Verity Bell, Cornerstone Barristers

March/April 2024

Volume 20, Issue 4

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• "Leaders must take transparency seriously" - Commissioner

• ICO acts against five public authorities

• ICO updates guidance on Records Management Code of Practice

• Sweden's FOI laws put citizens in danger, say experts

Articles

• Expert Comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - Verity Bell, Cornerstone Barristers

• 3 FOI lessons from the PSNI data breach - Vicki Bowles, VWV

January/February 2024

Volume 20, Issue 3

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO demands urgent action from police body with huge FOI backlog

• Court of Appeal rules against Commissioner in FOI case

• New FOI in 90 seconds guide

• ICO updates FOIA and EIRs guideance
  

Articles

• Expert Comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands
• How to successfully apply Section 12 - Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

November/December 2023

Volume 20, Issue 2

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Cease using excel spreadsheets in FOI responses, instructs ICO 

• ICO issues Enforcement Notice to City of York Council over FOI backlog 

• ICO notes 'paucity' of Department's arguments on balance of public interest 

• Commissioner agrees with TfL that requests are manifestly unreasonable 

Articles

• Expert Comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands
• Vexatious requests and the bruden vs public interest test - Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

September/October 2023
Volume 20, Issue 1

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO publishes results of FOI listening exercise

• Latest enforcement activity

• MoJ tracking journalists making FOI requests

• SIC asked to launch investigation into WhatsApp use

• Guidance on sections 21 and 42 updated

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimmons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Lessons learned from recent ICO enforcement action - Vicki Bowles, VWV

• The requester and the requested - a constructive relationship - Martin Rosenbaum

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

July/August 2023
Volume 19, Issue 6

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO takes further enforcement action

• Commissioner warns against 'unnecessary' government FOI exemptions

• Prime Minister accused of 'culture of concealment'

• Councils reprimanded for delays in responding to information requests

• FOI data breaches prompt invesitgation into Cabinet Office in Isle of Man

• More than 480 FOI requests made to Cork's two local authorities

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimmons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimmons, Cornerstone Barristers

May/June 2023
Volume 19, Issue 5

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO launches FOI toolkit topic to help with vexatious requests

• Council told to clear backlog

• ICO will begin prioritising certain FOI complaints

• Ministers given new guidance on WhatsApp use

• Petition to protect rights to environmental information

• Government publishes £248m missing Covid contracts

Articles

• Appeals and becoming a party to appeals — what to expect - Vicki Bowles, VWV

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers 

March/April 2023
Volume 19, Issue 4

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Internal consultations on FOI requests — new guidance

• ICO releases suite of FOI resources

• ICO publishes new analysis of publication schemes

• Big Brother Watch compiles report based on FOI disclosures

• ICO investigated Cabinet Office over blocked Spycatcher documents

• Analysis of meetings between ministers and lobbyists

Articles

• Why narrowing the scope of personal data would affect the FOIA/EIRs - Damien Welfare

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

January/February 2023
Volume 19, Issue 3

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO to change the way it prioritises FOI complaints

• Government launches consultation into widening scope of FOI laws

• Council’s handling of FOI request ‘inappropriate’, according to self-commissioned report

• Public authority to disclose details of deals worth £1bn

• Campaign urges peers to amend National Security Bill

• New report on freedom of expression and Online Safety

Articles

• FOI enforcement — recent lessons - Lynn Wyeth, Head of Information Governance at Leicester City Council
• Sections 21 and 22 — information that is already available, or intended to be published - Vicki Bowles, Barrister, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

November/December 2022
Volume 19, Issue 2

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• FCA brings in paralegals to tackle FOI backlog
• FOI reveals lobbying by BA owner to hide emissions data
• Caymans: FOI requests pick up after lockdown decline

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: Developing a Records Management Programme - John Wilson
• Section 42 — Legal Professional Privilege - Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

September/October 2022
Volume 19, Issue 1

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Cabinet Office rejects recommendations to improve transparency of its FOI handling
• New transparency law proposed in Scotland
• Reading Council delays with FOI requests

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: who is responsible? - John Wilson
• Section 36(2) (c): the ‘catch-all’ provision for FOI requests? - Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

July/August 2022
Volume 18, Issue 6

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Director’s update points to more supportive approach
• FOI is elbowed off the page, says campaign group
• MP pursues proper scrutiny of Cabinet Office FOI hub

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: retention and disposal - John Wilson
• Section 43 — application of the commercial interests exemption - Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

May/June 2022
Volume 18, Issue 5

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• ICO Director: “FOI Act has never been more important”
• Upper Tribunal decision creates further potential certification of contempt
• SNP may have ‘broken law’ over missing ferry paperwork

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: Metadata and indexing- John Wilson
• Anonymisation and personal data: engaging Section 40- Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

March/April 2022
Volume 18, Issue 4

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Commissioner orders release of safeguarding review findings following unsuccessful application of section 35
• FOI journalist complains about biases in ICO’s listening exercise
• FOI agency understaffed and overwhelmed

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: Business Classification Schemes - John Wilson
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

January/February 2022
Volume 18, Issue 3

View Front Cover PDF

News Items

• Freedom of Information set to be expanded by Scottish government
• Cabinet Office in two FOI disputes
• Key Upper Tribunal ruling on application of personal data exemption

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: the Information Audit - John Wilson
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

November/December 2021
Volume 18, Issue 2

News Items

• Government bodies refuse FOI requests on basis of misleading database search times, says academic
• Cabinet Office says report shows total misunderstanding of Act
• Theresa May ‘disappointed’ police still holding misconduct hearings in private

Articles

• Records Management: Back to Basics - John Wilson
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

September/October 2021
Volume 18, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Incoming Commissioner’s remarks are indicative of wider problem, says group

• Police body issued with Practice Recommendation

• New Commissioner’s comments

• Practice Recommendation

• Australia’s FOI system is ‘broken’, review finds

• Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Section 18 FOISA — a case of interest - Fiona Killen, Burness Paull LLP

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

July/August 2021
Volume 17, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New investigation into government use of private correspondence channels

• ICO publishes detailed research into perceptions of FOI

• ICO publishes its annual report

• Inquiry launched into operation of Clearing House

• ICO needs to do better, says Campaign group

• Peers call for transparency on Environment Bill

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Enforcing  Tribunal  decisions: where there’s bark there’s bite? - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• FOI Regimes of Practice - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons and Ruchi Parekh, Cornerstone Barristers

May/June 2021
Volume 17, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI policy report recommends urgent reforms

• ICO allows partial disclosure of Amazon contract

• Understanding the relationship between FOI and data protection

• openDemocracy takes legal action over government’s ‘Orwellian’ Clearing House

• MPs say avoiding FOI has become political strategy, and obfuscation standard

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• All cards are on the table: disclosure obligations and the Independent Review of Administrative Law - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

March/April 2021
Volume 17, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Defence research agency to be excluded from FOIA

• ICO makes addition to toolkit

• Open Government Partnership puts UK under review

• Court of Justice gives guidance on the internal communications exception

• Tribunal rejects application for disclosure of leakers

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• From the stroke of midnight: EU judgments on access to environmental information - still relevant in a post-Brexit UK? - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

January/February 2021
Volume 17, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Journalists’ FOI bids stayed as Tribunal adopts ‘untenable’ stance

• Scottish government accused of coordinating FOI responses with council

• Australia’s FOI regime heading for disaster, says Senator

• Important victory for FOI in Albania

• Event supplier makes FOI request to government

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• ‘Fine words butter no parsnips’ - just how is the open justice principle delivered? - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers
• Book review - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

November/December 2020
Volume 17, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO’s report on timeliness contains lessons for all

• ‘Orwellian’ government unit obstructs FOI

• Housing associations brace against FOI-style transparency demands

• UK government being sued over refusal to publish details of COVID contracts

• UK local authorities lagging on digital record access

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• What remains of the public/private divide? Mixed messages on the meaning of ‘public authority’ - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

September/October 2020
Volume 17, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO reverses position on identifying underperforming authorities

• Regulatory policy newly updated

• Bodies call on governments to restore FOI on Access to Information day

• Warning that post Brexit secrecy could limit information rights

• Access to government information hits record lows, figures show

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• FOIA - the terminus of Information Rights - Isabella Buono, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

July/August 2020
Volume 16, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Regulator updates FOI regulation policy for the Covid era

• New FOI self-assessment toolkit

• ICO issues practice recommendation

• ICO addresses common FOI and EIRs misconceptions

• Police have no need to declare IMSI use, Tribunal rules

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Running fast just to stand still - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• Subscriber resource: list of Information Notices issued by the ICO

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

May/June 2020
Volume 16, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO to take tougher approach to FOI time limits

• New UK laws could criminalise journalism

• Government censored BAME COVID-risk review

• Matt Hancock faces legal claim over government decision not to publish findings of 2016 pandemic drill

• HMRC refuses to share information on overseas pension list

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• FOI in a time of crisis - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• FOI and COVID-19 - EIRs and government transparency - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - John Fitzsimons & Ruchi Parekh, Cornerstone Barristers

March/April 2020
Volume 16, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• First-Tier Tribunal suspends all information rights cases for 28 days

• ‘PAs should not use pandemic to justify treating the right to know as disposable’

• Scotland is first country in the world to delay FOI access because of coronavirus

• Access to information is ‘a collateral victim’ of pandemic

• Secrecy row over details of suspected coronavirus cases in care homes

Articles

• Expert comment - Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland

• Cockerels, cows and kick offs: what recent decisions tell us about the definition of environmental information - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• Looking back at 15 years of freedom of information requests - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals - Matt Lewin, Cornerstone Barristers

January/February 2020
Volume 16, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Accountability is being stealthily chipped away, says analyst

• openDemocracy launches two year investigation into FOIA

• Daily launches campaign to get back at ‘sloppy’ journalism claims

• Scottish charity sector: don’t bring us under FOI

• Editor slams council’s ‘dismal’ FOI record over failure to publish responses

Articles

• Expert comment - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers

• Breaking the camel’s back: section 14 and burden - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan

• The curious case of the Returning Officers - Ian Graham, University of Edinburgh Business School

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - John Fitzsimons & Ruchi Parekh, Cornerstone Barristers

November/December 2019
Volume 16, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Commissioner: “Bring appeals to us - we can handle it”

• Election contract information ‘clearly held’ by council

• Emails on Edinburgh Christmas Market planning fiasco to stay secret

• FOI Director discusses access to information in turbulent times

• Government retreat on Environment Bill secrecy

Articles

• Expert comment - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers

• FOIMan’s Festive FOI Inbox - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan

• The Cayman Islands’ Freedom of Information Law - Matt Lewin, Cornerstone Barristers

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrew, Monckton Chambers

September/October 2019
Volume 16, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Councils ignoring public right to audit accounts, claims

• UK to release ‘pay to slay’ audits after Freedom of Information request

• US Supreme Court expands application of exemption for business data under Freedom of Information Act

• Council’s FOI review finds significant weaknesses

• Kevin Dunion says ministers 'breaking the law' in  refusing to hand over phones

Articles

• Expert comment - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers

• Mythbusting FOI - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan

• 16 things I wish I knew then - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrew, Monckton Chambers

July/August 2019
Volume 15, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO unveils new ‘Openness by Design’ Strategy

• Supreme Court rules non-parties can have access to documents used in court proceedings

• 'Urgent need' to extend FOI Act to private contractors working for public bodies, says Peer

• CJEU rules that FOI cannot trump copyright protections

• SIC refuses to name staff in non-disclosure agreements

Articles

• Expert comment - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers

• Raising the curtain - how FOI really works - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan

• So, what CAN we charge - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrew, Monckton Chambers

May/June 2019
Volume 15, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Reject rates get higher and higher

• Campaign group raises concerns about the Draft Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill

• Northants Police draft in volunteers to tackle transparency backlog

• Ministers accused of stonewalling over migrant health reports

• Baseline assessment data kept hidden

Articles

• FOIMan’s FOI Inbox - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• FOI in Scotland - how is it doing? - Ben Worthy, Birkbeck College UCL

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrews

• 'The Freedom of Information Officer’s Handbook' Book Review - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

March/April 2019
Volume 15, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Report shows some London PAs are not meeting FOI obligations

• Hundreds of Brexit gagging orders taken out

• Campaign group says ICO’s strategy contains ‘fundamental mischaracterisation’

• Police body wants to charge journalists ‘nominal fee’ to submit FOI requests

• Scotland Committee wants to know how well Scottish regime is operating

Articles

• What we don’t know - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• FOI Good Practice - the Campaign for FOI’s report - Louise Jones, Guildhall Chambers

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrews

January/February 2019
Volume 15, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Commissioner urges government to extend the Act

• ICO consults on its proposed 3 year Freedom of Information strategy

• Scottish housing associations to be subject to FOIA from November

• Government failing on FOI, think tank warns

• College hiding principal’s expenses may be committing criminal offence

Articles

• FOI and procurement - how do they interact? - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• FOIA in 2018 - key cases - Louise Jones, Guildhall Chambers

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Alexandra Littlewood & Ciar McAndrews

November/December 2018
Volume 15, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• European Court ruling prompts calls to reform information laws

• Police challenged over refusal to disclose files on WikiLeaks staff

• Threat to journalists at highest level in 10 years, report says

• PSNI amasses backlog of nearly 300 unanswered FOI requests

• New transparency tool is available

Articles

• FOI: how did English councils perform in 2016? - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• ‘Winnowing out’ the vexing nature of vexatiousness - Louise Jones, Guildhall Chambers

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge, Monckton Chambers

September/October 2018
Volume 15, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Housing association is a public authority, rules ICO

• Scottish government criticised over proposed reforms

• Health Board attributes missing FOI deadlines to GDPR

• EU court delivers transparency blow on MEP expenses

• Dáil bid to make Office of the President subject to FOI requests

Articles

• FOI and diaries - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• Housing Associations and FOI - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge & Imogen Proud, Monckton Chambers

July/August 2018
Volume 14, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New Code encouragesauthorities to use section 14

• ICO criticised for allowing Whitehall delays

• Denham to audit Northern Ireland Civil Service

• FOI law being used to ‘break the system’ in Scotland, say advisors

• Embarrassment not grounds for rejecting FOI requests in States of Jersey

Articles

• From the other side - a practitioner’s perspective on making FOI requests - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• The new section 45 Code of Practice - what you need to know - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Azeem Suterwalla & Harry Gillow, Monckton Chambers

May/June 2018
Volume 14, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI habits are offensive to spirit of FOI, SIC concludes

• Extension Bill filibustered by MPs

• Netpol wins FOI case for police information on anti-fracking campaigners

• ICO launches rare criminal investigation into MOJ after the body “makes mockery” of FOIA

• BBC ignored FOI requests for “pampered” celebrities’ pay

Articles

• Freedom of information,copyright and re-use - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• Opening up UK government - it’s not all about FOI - Ben Worthy, Birkbeck College UCL

• FOI in Scotland - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge & Imogen Proud, Monckton Chambers

March/April 2018
Volume 14, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ‘FOIA is too slow to get this done’, say Brexit applicants

• Carillon collapse highlights ‘shadow state of outsourcing, says MP

• Revised Code needs to be better, says Campaign group

• Court of Appeal says FOIA public interest test does not require compatibility with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

• Information Tribunal holds Home Office had no obligation to disclose information on pathologist workload

Articles

• Back to the FOIA: how FOIA affects historical records - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• To hold, or not to hold — that is the question - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Alison Berridge & Imogen Proud, Monckton Chambers

January/February 2018
Volume 14, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ‘FOIA is too slow to get this done’, say Brexit applicants

• Carillon collapse highlights ‘shadow state of outsourcing, says MP

• Revised Code needs to be better, says Campaign group

• Court of Appeal says FOIA public interest test does not require compatibility with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

• Information Tribunal holds Home Office had no obligation to disclose information on pathologist workload

Articles

• Breaking the Code - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan

• Donald Trump: the secretly open President - Ben Worthy, Birkbeck College UCL

• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Azeem Suterwalla & Alison Berridge, Monckton Chambers

November/December 2017
Volume 14, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government publishes new ‘no nonsense’ FOI Code
• Scotland’s regulator rolls sleeves up with government’s FOI handling
• ICO updates guidance on section 43
• Charity asks Scottish government to block FOI release on new graduate course
• Agency accused of ‘gaming the system’ to avoid being held to account
• Police block release of key documents on Glenfell Tower fire
• DfE backtracks on plan to publish list of best paid staff

Articles

• How the GDPR affects the administration of FOIA - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• A year in FOI - highlights from 2017 - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds LLP
• The new FOI Code and Scotland developments - Ben Worthy - Birkbeck College, UCL

September/October 2017
Volume 14, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Automating transparency - challenges and opportunities
• Government gets around FOI problem in Data Protection Bill
• ICO updates guidance on section 43
• Fears that new health bill would undermine transparency
• Government policy exemption unsuccessful in Wharton diary case
• Michael Gove accused of withholding report into whether Brexit will cause food prices to rise

Articles

• What Do They Know about refusing requests? - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• The Grenfell Towers tragedy - lessons to be learned - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds LLP

July/August 2017
Volume 13, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI experts discuss failures at heart of government
• Elizabeth Denham publishes first Annual Report
• FOI guidance changes
• Commissioner tells government to publish secret letters about fox hunting
• Campaign group gets support for FOI Bill
• Elizabeth Denham to address designation of housing authorities in report to Parliament

Articles

• The EIRs Part III: the exceptional Regulations - EIRs, Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• Central government departments and FOI timeliness - will the crackdown happen? - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds Sutherland

May/June 2017
Volume 13, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI leaks could become a criminal offence
• Commissioner: ‘It’s time for a drastic rethink’
• ICO publishes FOI data
• Welsh government ordered to publish aid details
• True FOI remains elusive in Italy, says campaign group
• Liberal Democrats and Labour Party make FOI promises
• Institute for government says latest figures show worrying trend

Articles

• Same thing, different gravy? The EIRs Part II - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• How will the GDPR affect FOI law? - Curtis McCluskey, Reed Smith
• Records management in (and out) of the health sector - Rachael Annear, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather, Eversheds LLP

March/April 2017
Volume 13, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI monitoring to increase to 90%
• Public appointments process not transparent, says Committee
• New EIRs guidance published
• Revised transparency principles for contract information
• ICO launches new resources to assist health sector with records management
• JISC publishes latest report on FOI in higher education

Articles

• Down the rabbit hole: the EIRs - Part 1 - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• Balancing transparency and privacy - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

January/February 2017
Volume 13, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Denham — ‘it’s the message, not the media, that counts’
• New FOI Code of Practice to be published in early 2017
• GDPR ‘raises uncertainties for FOI archives’
• Civil service’s digital record legacy poses ‘real and immediate risks’ to operations
• SIC vacates Office, her replacement yet to be announced
• Government is becoming less transparent, according to report
• UK government refuses to release visa figures

Articles

• Denham’s drive for a duty to document - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• Tom Wall, section 40(2) and why FOI Officers need data protection expertise - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds LLP

November/December 2016
Volume 13, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• European Court establishes human right to FOI
• Government still considering removal of FOIA appeals
• Commissioner - ‘we need to deal with late responders’
• Government consults on statutory bar on disclosure of health service investigations
• Tribunal orders release of Tony Blair correspondence
• Department for Education releases documents concerning key decisions about schools

Articles

• The fall and rise of the publication scheme - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• Do fishing expeditions truly undermine FOIA’s objectives? - Lynn Wyeth, Leicester City Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds
• FOIA - why bother? - Ben Worthy, Birkbeck, UCL

September/October 2016
Volume 13, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Denham: time to prise open public services providers
• ICO agrees with Department on changes to Transparency Code
• National Archives releases new guidance on FOI exemptions for records
• SIC urges public authorities to take care when interrupting requests
• Lawyers representing Hillsborough families call for new transparency legislation
• Advice to ministers should be made public, says former civil servant
• FOI qualification - latest exam results
• New ICO guidance on section 44, and updated guidance on section 26

Articles

• Of interest? The public interest test under FOIA - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• ICO’s new guidance on statutory bars - Patricia Barratt - Director
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds

July/August 2016
Volume 12, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Threat looms closer over right to appeal
• ICO announces latest FOI monitoring list
• Denham starts and FOI Minister announced
• Greater transparency about major contracts
• ICO issues landmark enforcement notice
• New FOIA guidance published
• ICO releases Annual Report
• Unusual vexatious requests case for SIC

Articles

• Small is not necessarily better when it comes to FOI - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• Peeling back the onion - the new Model Services Contract - JP Buckley, DLA Piper
• Divining the public interest - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds

May/June 2016
Volume 12, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Public sector contracts to be visible for first time
• Local government Transparency Code being revisited
• Elizabeth Denham confirmed as new Commissioner
• Government publishes latest FOI statistics
• FOI used to expose Ukip leader failing to pay tax

Articles

• Lies, damn lies, and FOI statistics - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• Personal data in FOIA/EIRs requests — changes and developments - Damien Welfare, Cornerstone Barristers
• The future of FOIA - a run down of the Independent Commission’s findings - Anya Proops, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds

March/April 2016
Volume 12, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• It isn’t over yet, say FOI critics
• Graham’s replacement reputed to be fierce custodian of FOI rights
• Police Federation soon to come under FOIA
• Minister refuses to commit to FOI extension
• Tribunal orders DWP to disclose Universal Credit reports
• Elected officials can expect names to be disclosed, says Upper Tribunal
• Scotland’s government consults on new Regulations
• New guidance on EIRs

Articles

• Freedom of Information: cutting the cost - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• ICO’s new EIRs guidance - things you need to know - FOI news team
• FOI in Scotland - changes afoot - James Goudie QC, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Dave Hughes & Heather Farrell, Eversheds

January/February 2016
Volume 12, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Planned FOIA extension a ‘blunderbuss’ says charity chief
• FOIA review update — government backtrack ‘likely’
• FOI now in force in Isle of Man
• ‘Student journalism will suffer’ if universities become exempt from FOIA
• Civil servants not recording Brexit plans to avoid FOI, says Gus O’Donnell
• Campaign group calls for FOIA to apply to prisons and parking tickets — even if contractors hold the information

Articles

• FOI in the Isle of Man - FOIA upgraded? - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• The research exemption - what’s new? - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• A licence to fish? Disclosure and information requests in judicial review - Anna Condliffe, Transport for London
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Zoe Gannon, Barrister, 11KBW

November/December 2015
Volume 12, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Committee to take oral evidence sessions in January 2016
• Important case on FOI requests made via Twitter
• Cabinet Office ‘irresponsible and evasive’ says Tribunal
• Government suggests excluding HEs from FOIA
• Labour Party to launch its own FOI review

Articles

• The costs of FOIA - researching central government spending - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• What to charge for under the EIRs - guidance at last - Christopher Knight, 11KBW
• Use of confidential information in the planning sphere - Philip Coppel QC, Cornerstone Barristers
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Zoe Gannon, 11BW

September/October 2015
Volume 12, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government’s FOI review to take evidence at the end of September
• Ministry of Justice monitored over unacceptable delays
• ICO still concerned about Met Police timeliness
• FOI responsibility now with Cabinet Office
• Consultation on introduction of fees now closed
• MoJ need not disclose details of Saudi agreement

Articles

• Freudian slip: the FOI Act that never was - Paul Gibbons, aka FOIMan
• Re-use of Public Sector Information: the new rules - Racheal Annear, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Circle the wagons: fees for the Information Tribunal - Christopher Knight, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

July/August 2015
Volume 11, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New obligations for information re-use now in force
• Latest Report is third in a row to highlight funding concerns
• Government will revisit FOI law
• Scottish government consults on FOI extension
• ICO issues Enforcement Notice, only 4th in history of Act
• Journalists’ requests not vexatious
• Court removes ‘bad motive’ as a reason to refuse requests

Articles

• Freedom of Information: this time it’s personal - Paul Gibbons aka FOIMan
• Vexatious requests - still no easy answers - Emily Carter, Kingsley Napley LLP
• Transparency in outsourcing: ICO roadmap and guidance - Rachael Annear, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

May/June 2015
Volume 11, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI commitments revealed - but do they go far enough?
• Prince Charles’ letters case spells start and end of veto use for EIRs
• Whitehall releases latest FOI figures
• Mexico expands freedom of information legislation
• Advocate General gives guidance on what is a 'reasonable amount' to charge for EIRs
• Caymans Commissioner warns PAs not to hide behind confidentiality clauses

Articles

• The ten things FOI practitioners hate most - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• A Prince, a journalist, some letters and a veto - Emily Carter, Kingsley Napley LLP
• On the hook - public authorities under the EIRs - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Chambers
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills
• F + I + A = F(o)IA - Christopher Knight, 11 KBW

March/April 2015
Volume 11, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Network Rail to be within FOI regime by end of March 2015
• Water companies with ‘special powers’ subject to EIRs
• ICO to investigate itself over disclosure of staff pay
• ICO updates guidance on identity of applicant
• FOI Code will not be updated to include private contractors
• Latest bodies to be monitored announced
• FOI request used to uncover new information on Jimmy Savile assaults

Articles

• The ten things FOI requesters hate most - Paul Gibbons (aka known as 'FOIMan')
• Ten years of FOI - the BBC's perspective - James Leaton Gray & Martin Rosenbaum, BBC
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills
• Article 10 freedom of expression - the Global Witness case - Peter Lockley, 11KBW

January/February 2014
Volume 11, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Proactive disclosure not enough, says Commissioner
• SIC warns Parliament that action is needed to protect FOI
• Shadow Justice Secretary - ‘we will end the FOI anomaly’
• The ICO invites feedback on website restructure
• ICO favours existing structure for MoJ review
• Potential merger of transparency bodies in Cayman Islands
• UT gives new guidance for reliance on Schedule 2 DPA condition/li>

Articles

• New FOI law in Jersey - scope and comparisons with the UK - Emily Carter, Kingsley Napley LLP
• What’s in a name? Fairness, necessity and the public interest - Rachael Annear, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
• Accessing information in the planning sphere: Viability Assessments - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Chambers
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

November/December 2014
Volume 11, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Private Members’ Bills foretell new transparency obligations
• Committee criticises arm’s-length government as opaque ‘Matrix’
• Local Government Transparency Regulations now in force
• Tribunal rejects call for names of legal advisors at care regulator
• Cabinet Office fails to respond to request for failed IT projects
• Upper Tribunal gives new test for determining ‘inherent weight’
• Request for metadata of personal emails valid
• Home Office told to disclose advice behind decision on intercept evidence

Articles

• Ten years of FOI - a personal account - Paul Gibbons, FOIMan
• Accessing information in the planning sphere: viability assessments - Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Chambers
• The local government transparency rules - what’s new? - Jackie Gray & Emma Dewar, Bond Dickinson LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

September/October 2014
Volume 11, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Minister reveals three-pronged plan for future of FOIA
• ICO announces latest monitoring, and praises others for raising standards
• Scottish Commissioner ‘concerned’ about FOI timeliness
• ICO asks for more action to clear up ‘potential vagaries’ with outsourcing arrangements
• ICO’s overhaul of publication scheme documentation is complete
• Health bodies must pro-actively disclose details of meetings with pharmaceutical companies
• FTT issues new checklist for closed proceedings in FOIA appeals; consultation on FTT recomposition

Articles

• Codes of Practice - more guidelines than rules? - Paul Gibbons, Information Rights Consultant (aka FOIMan)
• Charging for requests - what does the new guidance say? - Dave Hughes, Eversheds
• A matter of form: information requests and Section 11 - Christopher Knight, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

July/August 2014
Volume 10, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI complaints increasingly difficult to manage, says ICO
• Court rules Freedom of Information requests can specify file format
• Evidence during FOI disputes may be provided in secret, Court rules
• ICO warns public authorities to ‘consider very carefully’ before refusals of so called ‘fishing expeditions’ High Court gives decision on ‘held’
• Disclosure of pay and expenses data would lead to breakdown in Trust, says ICO
• Court tells DWP to reveal workfare users
• Salaries of high-earning professors may be disclosed

Articles

• Leadership and FOI - Paul Gibbons, Information Rights Consultant (aka FOIMan)
• The new Research Exemption - where information law and IP collide - Dave Hughes, Senior Associate, Eversheds
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

May/June 2014
Volume 10, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New compulsory publication provisions for local authorities
• ICO announces latest bodies to be monitored over response times
• New FOIA exemption becomes law
• Irish High Court gives decision on ‘held’
• BMA asks for FOIA to apply equally across all GP providers
• Upper Tribunal rules that presence of LLP does not automatically engage EIRs exemption

Articles

• The vexed question of vexatiousness, repeated requests and unreasonable ones - Damien Welfare, Cornerstone Barristers
• The New Code: the next step government transparency - Emily Carter, Kingsley Napley
• Opening up the UK - Dr Ben Worthy, Birkbeck, University of London
• What’s in a name? A comment on Edem - Christopher Knight, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O'Kane, Herbert Smith Freehills

March/April 2014
Volume 10, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Private companies on public contracts to come under FOIA
• Supreme Court backs Charity Commission in long running dispute
• No need to issue Refusal Notice where information not ‘held’, says Tribunal
• Commissioner launches legal bid to have DfT publish vetoed report
• Publication scheme definition document published for wholly owned companies
• New FOI guidance on requests for documents
• FOI requests received by UK universities continue to rise

Articles

• Is FOIA always the best route to getting information? - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• Transparency of outsourced public sector services and future changes to FOIA - Jackie Gray, Bond Dickinson
• Section 36 and the ‘qualified person’ — who is it and why does it matter? - Paul Gibbons (aka FOIMan)
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O'Kane, Herbert Smith Freehills

January/February 2014
Volume 10, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government deploys veto over HS2 report
• Cabinet Office monitored over FOI response times
• ICO seeks views on Anonymisation Code of Practice
• Isle of Man FOI consultation begins
• Police body gives update on FOI backlog
• Australia Information Commissioner calls for intelligence agencies to be subject to FOI
• Human Rights Commission raises FOI concerns in Caymans
• Irish Water to come under FOI

Articles

• How important is good records management to FOIA compliance? - Paul Gibbons, Information Rights Consultant
• The amended PSI Directive: further re-use changes on the horizon - Jackie Gray & Emma Dewar, Bond Dickinson LLP
• Closed hearings in FOI cases: new guidance from the Upper Tribunal - Adam Chapman, Kinsley Napley LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

November/December 2013
Volume 10, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO to disclose names of criminal journalists after losing appeal
• New guidance on time limits for information requests
• Datasets: more guidance documents updated
• Upper Tribunal gives judgment in extraordinary rendition case
• Updated guidance on proactive release of environmental information
• Decision on confidentiality of medical information after patient’s death
• Publication schemes: new Northern Ireland definition document

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 6 - looking for approval - Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• Anything but data sets - challenges with anonymisation - Bilal Ghafoor, also known as the FOI Kid
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Niamh O’Kane, Herbert Smiths Freehills

September/October 2013
Volume 10, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO publishes Code of Practice on datasets
• Latest bodies to be monitored announced
• ICO updates definition documents and model publication schemes
• New Fees Regulations published
• Council discloses staff data in error
• ICO fines council for disclosing sensitive data in error

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 5 - holding your own - Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• The evolution of FOI - datasets and re-use - Jackie Gray, Bond Dickinson LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant, Elizabeth Carter & Faye Weedon, Bristows LLP

July/Aug 2013
Volume 9, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO warns of risk of revealing too much
• FOIA datasets provisions in force from 1st September 2013
• High Court backs government use of veto
• Irish government offers FOI law amendments
• Isle of Man to introduce FOI law
• MEP repeats call for information on Scotland’s future in Europe

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 4 - take it to the (appropriate) limit - Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• The public interest - an unorthodox view - Rory Dunlop, Thirty Nine Essex Street Chambers
• Too much information? - Niamh O'Kane, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Hannah Crowther, Bristows
• Book review - 'Tribunal Practice' by Philip Coppel QC and Saima Hanif - Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council

May/June 2013
Volume 9, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New guidance on vexatious/manifestly unreasonable requests
• New FOIA exemption now in force and other changes on horizon
• Graham Smith: Section 12 to be reviewed
• Tribunal rules that exact salary should be disclosed
• High Court challenge of government’s use of veto begins
• ICO updates sector definition documents
• Rarely used FOI exemption deployed by Speaker

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 3 - getting vexed by Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• Private emails and contracting out - overcoming the challenges by Anish Bhasin, Herbert Smith Freehills
• A right to unknown information? by Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal by Hazel Grant, Scott Allardyce, Adam Lavery and Edwin Bond, Bristows

March/April 2013
Volume 9, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Long awaited guidance on vexatiousness arrives
• Committee report on ICO suggests relaxation of rules on virement
• Latest EIRs guidance published
• Department to release information on free schools
• David Cameron ‘not at all sure’ on extending FOIA
• FOI reveals extent to which authorities are using private investigators
• Prince Charles’ correspondence - saga continues as UT issues further decision

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 2 - game, data set and match by Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• The new guidance on parliamentary privilege exemption by Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal by Hazel Grant, Scott Allardyce, Sean Ibbetson and Libby Amos, Bristows
• Book review - FOI Handbook, 3rd edition - Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council

January/February 2013
Volume 9, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government to reduce cost ‘burden’ on authorities
• FOIA will not be extended to private contractors
• 'Keyword search' FOI requests are valid, says ICO
• New definition documents for higher education and government department sectors

Articles

• FOI, practically speaking Part 1 - deadlines - Paul Gibbons, SOAS
• Disclosure of personal data relating to children and vulnerable adults - balancing public and private interests - Marion Oswald, University of Winchester
• Vexatious uncertainty - Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant, Scott Allerdyce and Sean Ibbetson, Bristows
• FOI from a commercial perspective - Part 3 - Helen Rose & Scott Allerdyce, Bristows

November/December 2012
Volume 9, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government rejects key findings of Committee on FOIA
• Confidential bid information disclosable following Tribunal ruling
• Two new consultations: data sets and data transparency
• FOI ban on royal communications scrapped in Scotland
• Expert gives verdict on new ICO guidance

Articles

• Meetings and access to information - has the government thrown open the doors of town hall? - Claire Ambrose, Herbert Smith
• Introducing Rosemary Agnew - James McGachie, DLA Piper
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant and Nicholas Round, Bristows
• FOI from a commercial perspective - Part 2 - Helen Rose and Scott Allardyce, Bristows

September/October 2012
Volume 9, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• New recording requirements cause consternation
• Scottish Commissioner accuses government of causing rights erosion
• Prince Charles letters must be published
• Employment and disciplinary records protected by Tribunal
• Local authority begins to publish FOI requests
• Regulation 12(5)(g) EIRs - new guidance

Articles

• Post legislative scrutiny and the changes that may lie ahead - Jackie Gray, Dickinson Dees
• A shot across the bow? - Paul Gibbons, School of Oriental and African Studies (better known as 'FOI Man')
• Freedom of information and the future of the ministerial veto - Anya Proops, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Sarah Ruthven, Bristows
• FOI from a commercial perspective - Part 1 - Helen Rose, Bristows

July/August 2012
Volume 8, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOIA review Committee finds very little wrong with the Act
• Government accepts Committee’s ‘open invitation’ to deploy veto
• Commissioner blogs on Report
• Four new FOI guidance documents
• Scotland to strengthen FOI legislation
• FOI probe referred to Tribunal
• Government publishes Open Data White Paper
• FOI legislation to be extended in Ireland

Articles

• Protection of Freedoms Act - the practical consequences - Eleanor Tunnicliffe, Beachcroft LLP
• To Coco or not to Coco? EIRs and confidentiality - Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council
• FOIA appeals and the Upper Tribunal - Helen Robinson and Judge Nicholas Wikeley, Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber
• Application fees - the arguments for and against - Anna Condliffe, Herbert Smith LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant and Edward Glass, Bristows

May/June 2012
Volume 8, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Protection of Freedoms Bill given Royal Assent
• Graham attacks decision to deploy veto preventing Register release
• Government issues note on ministerial vetos
• Tribunal makes significant ruling on vexatious requests
• Names of staff members who dealt with complaints are not necessarily personal data
• Straw speaks of ‘mistakes’ made in introducing FOIA
• Committee hears from Grieve, McNally and Maude

Articles

• Commercially sensitive and confidential information - Rachel Kamm, 11KBW
• Extension of FOIA to housing associations and others - Lynn Aglionby, Trowers & Hamlin,
• Access to documents in criminal proceedings - Kate Wilson, One Brick Court,
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Edward Glass, Bristows

March/April 2012
Volume 8, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Mandarins are paving the way for bad behaviour, says Graham
• Publication of risk assessment will do lasting damage, warns Lord
• Commissioner takes no further steps in relation to veto
• Journalist wins right to ‘sensitive’ court papers
• NHS managers seek to curtail FOI requests
• FOIA has not improved accountability, says MoJ
• Prince Charles’s secret veto documents to be released

Articles

• Post legislative scrutiny - an update - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance LLP
• Are the EIRs too broad, and is it time to revisit the concept of ‘remoteness’? - Damien Welfare, Cornerstone Barristers
• ICO’s new guide to the Freedom of Information Act - Helen Rose, Bristows
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Amy Cullen, Bristows

Jan/Feb 2012
Volume 8, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOIA’s future hangs in balance
• Court rules in favour of late raised exemptions
• Justice Select Committee calls for evidence
• MP begs government to curb ‘bonkers’requests
• Celebrating the FOI Officer

Articles

• What are the likely changes to rules on proactive publication? - Eleanor Tunnicliffe & Alistair Robertson, DAC Beachcroft LLP
• Kevin Dunion - through unchartered territory - James McGachie, DLA Piper
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Amy Cullen, Bristows
• The development of FOI in Eastern Europe - Part 2 - Paul Byfield, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• FOI, higher education institutions and the value of knowledge - Charles Livingstone, Brodies LLP

Nov/Dec 2011
Volume 8, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOIA gets first appraisal
• FOIA is extended
• Councillors use FOI law to find out what is happening in the own council
• ICO publishes guidance for higher education authorities
• Role of FOI in Fox resignation

Articles

• None of our business? Private emails, FOI and lawful interception - Jonathan Baines, Buckinghamshire County Council
• Back to basics Part VI - the transparency agenda - Helen Rose, Bristows
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal -  Hazel Grant & Amy Cullen, Bristows
• The development of FOI in Eastern Europe - Part I - Paul Byfield, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Sept/Oct 2011
Volume 8, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• List of empty houses at large 
• Tribunal considers bigger picture 
• Section 12 costs calculations should be set out in Refusal Notices
• Tobacco firm using FOI law to access secret academic data

Articles

• Data, data everywhere but not a drop to sync - Eleanor Tunnicliffe & Alistair Robertson, Beachcroft LLP
• Private sewers - transferring the records - Jane Holden, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunal -  Hazel Grant & James Brunger, Bristows
• Back to FOI Basics Part V - reviews, complaints and appeals - Helen Rose & Ash Von Schwan, Bristows
• Aggregating public interests under the EIRs - Rachel Kamm, 11KBW

July/August 2011
Volume 7, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Transport department’s drive for greater transparency
• UK uncovers ‘most ambitious’ open data agenda in the world
• ICO accused of waving white flag to Cabinet Office over delays
• Birmingham CC does its ‘level best’ to deal with FOI

Articles

• Back to FOI Basics Part IV - Information Handling - Helen Rose, Bristows
• Personal data exemption 1 - anonymised data given the OK - Simon Weinberg, Matthew Arnold & Baldwin
• Personal data exemption 2 - abortion statistics are not personal data - Robin Hopkins, 11KBW
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and First Tier Tribunal - Hazel Grant & Sacha Wilson, Bristows
• Late reliance and the costs exemption - Paul Dacam, Jamie Potter and Tom Mabbott, Hogan Lovells International LLP 

May/June 2011
Volume 7, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Scottish FOI guidance launched
• Cabinet Office delays over dossier
• Notice on Tribunal website dictates change

Articles

• Back to FOI Basics Part III – Publication Schemes – Helen Rose, Associate, Bristows
• The right to change your mind – a public authority’s prerogative – Paul Dacam, Partner, Jamie Potter, Associate, and Tom Mabbott, Trainee Solicitor, Hogan Lovells International LLP
• FOI in Scotland: where are we now and where are we going? – Emma Gilpin, Senior Solicitor, Brodies LLP
• Recent decisions of the First-Tier Tribunal – Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

March/April 2011
Volume 7, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Egypt tweets cut off
• ICO provides top tips for FOI
• Updated guidance for Scottish Public Authorities

Articles

• Back to FOI basics - ‘the request’ - Helen Rose, Associate, Bristows
• Transparency, current procurements and the future -Jackie Gray, Director, Dickinson Dees
• Environmental information is a no-flow - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance LLP
• FOI, Cabinet Minutes and the Ministerial Veto - Ciaran Ward, Information Officer, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
• Changes to FOI and the Protection of Freedoms Bill - Jackie Gray, Director, Dickinson Dees

January/February 2011
Volume 7, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Who needs freedom of information laws when you've got Wikileaks?
• ICO orders disclosure of asylum seekers information
• BBC contracts subject to FOI

Articles

• Back to FOI Basics Part I – ‘The Request’ – Helen Rose, Associate, Bristows
• Case study: FOI requests at an NHS Trust – Claire Robson, Information Rights Manager, Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
• Political donations, dropped prosecutions & personal data - Eleanor Tunnicliffe, Associate, Beachcroft LLP
• Transparency programme: redactions and exemptions - Jackie Gray, Director, Dickinson Dees
• Recent decisions of the First-Tier Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square

November/December 2010
Volume 7, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Scottish Commissioner’s response - extending FOISA?
• Tribunal retains legal professional privilege
• Commissioner rules against FSA

Articles

• The Transparency Programme starts to bite - Jackie Gray and Sarah Thompson, Dickinson Dees
• English Heritage and the Environmental Information Regulations - Jessica Trevitt, English Heritage
• Should we expect to see changes to the Freedom of Information Act any time soon? - James McGachie, DLA Piper Scotland LLP
• Recent Decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Grays Inn Square
• Book Review - Victoria Hordern, Field Fisher Waterhouse

September/October 2010
Volume 7, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO publishes new FOI policy
• Academy proprietors within FOI Act
• Royal Mail to disclose complaints details
• Government's bid to maintain secrecy surrounding Heseltine resignation

Articles

• FOIA and EIRs exemptions - legal professional privilege, by Flora Greenwood, Trainee Solicitor, and Hazel Grant, Partner, Bristows
• Raising the exemptions - better late than never? - Eleanor Tunnicliffe and Alistair Robertson, Solicitors in the Public Law team, Beachcroft
• Life after a Practice Recommendation - Andrew Goodfellow, Senior Information Governance Officer, Nottingham City Council
• FOI developments at an EU level - ECJ brews up a storm in Bavarian Lager - Ciaran Ward, Information Manager, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square,

July/August 2010
Volume 6, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government withholds documents because of risk of criticism
• Council could ‘clearly improve’ detail recorded
• New guidance on appeals to the First Tier Tribunal

Articles

• The government’s transparency commitments - what do they mean in practice? - Jackie Gray, Director, Dickinson Dees
• FOIA and EIRs exemptions Part V - prejudice to law enforcement - Rachel Burfitt, Solicitor, and Hazel Grant, Partner, Bristows
• Identity of FOI requesters (who wants to know?) - Paul Dacam, Partner and Jamie Potter, Associate, Hogan Lovells International LLP
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

May/June 2010
Volume 6, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Commissioner breaches EIRs
• ‘Disturbing’ setback for FOI over Macaque decision
• Group using FOI to delay views on tuition fees?
• Correspondence on Katanga not protected

Articles

• Mortgage company signs Undertaking
• FOIA and EIRs exemptions Part IV - prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs - Hazel Grant, Partner, and Helen Rose, Associate, Bristows
• Exemption for confidential material narrowed by the Tribunal? - Eleanor Tunnicliffe, Solicitor, and Alistair Robertson, Solicitor - Beachcroft LLP
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

March/April 2010
Volume 6, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• MoJ reveals (in)tolerance for Twittering
• HMRC fails to respond over who gets taxed less
• Delays 'completely and unacceptably' undermine spirit of FOIA
• Freedom of Information televised

Articles

• The public interest test - over to the Court of Justice - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance LLP
• FOIA and EIRs exemptions Part III - personal data exemption - Hazel Grant, Partner, and Leane Shankster, trainee solicitor, Bristows
• Requests for 'copies' and the 'true identity' of applicants - does it matter? - Christine O’Neill, Partner, and Charles Livingstone, Associate, Brodies Solicitors
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

January/February 2010
Volume 6, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• University of East Anglia breached FOIA
• Council withholds information from whistleblowers
• Cabinet Office to disclose peer’s residency
• SIC issues guidance on validity of FOI requests

Articles

• FOI and EIRs exemptions Part II - commercially sensitive information - Hazel Grant, Partner, and Sam Ryan, Bird & Bird
• A loophole in commercial confidentiality? - Jackie Gray, Director, Dickinson Dees LLP
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister,  2-3 Gray's Inn Square
• Towards a FOI culture in the EU? - Ciaran Ward, Information Officer, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
• FOI and release of third party documents - FOI news team

November/December 2009
Volume 6, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• School fails on four counts over questionnaire
• BBC wins eight out of eight cases in November
• Top most complained about companies protected from disclosure

Articles

• FOI and EIRs exemptions Part I - controversial confidentiality - Hazel Grant, Bristows
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square
• Animal experiments - putting FOI to the test? - David Thomas, BUAV
• FOI and the financial services industry - who’s on top? - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance

September/October 2009
Volume 6, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Essex Police criticised for lack of engagement
• Brighton and Hove bath trouble
• ICO’s property search guidance prompts cries of cowboys
• Obama appeals for abuse photos to be kept secret

Articles

• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal and the High Court - Hazel Grant and Tessa Finlayson, Bird & Bird
• The extension of the Freedom of Information Act - James McGachie, DLA Piper
• FOI and the third sector - when disclosure is less than voluntary - Christine O’Neill and Susheela Math, Brodies LLP
• EIRs - navigating the complexities and pitfalls - Charles Brasted, Lovells LLP
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

July/August 2009
Volume 5, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Government annouces new Code
• ICO hits back over 'delays'
• Delays in the Caymans

Articles

• Public sector salaries - a trend towards more, not less? - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance LLP
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Grays Inn Square
• Recent decisions of the Information Tribunal - Hazel Grant, Partner, Bird & Bird

May/June 2009
Volume 5, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• BBC board members' expenses to be made public
• Treasury says no to stress tests
• ICO upholds section 42 for purchase of parish
• ICO agrees with Cabinet Office over costs limit

Articles

• Practical ways of distinguishing FOI and EIR requests - Lynn Aglionby, Partner, Trowers & Hamlins
• Is open government good government? - Andrew Watson, Senior Lecturer, University of Northumbria
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - FOI news team, PDP, and Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square
• The Information Commissioner’s Swan Song - Natalie Hunt, Associate, Hunton & Williams

March/April 2009
Volume 5, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Consultation on new Tribunal
• No disclosure for curiosity's sake
• 'Surprising' level of abuse at job centres
• Progressive resources for voluntary sector in Scotland

Articles

• Housing associations and the EIR- the impact of Belfast and Wesley - Henry Longbottom, Senior Associate, and Rachel Lindop, Associate, Herbert Smith
• LPP exemption - new clarity from the High Court? - Anna Condliffe, Lawyer, Herbert Smith
• FOI India: overcoming the secrecy culture - Nick Graham, Partner, and Michael Loffler, Lawyer, Denton Wilde Sapte

January/February 2009
Volume 5, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Job applicants' data not exempt
• Commissioner fails to recognise personal data
• Tribunal orders release of Iraq dossier
• President Obama's 'new era of openness'

Articles

• New ICO guidance on vexatious requests - Hazel Grant, Partner, Bird & Bird
• Serious delays still affecting ICO decisions - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - FOI news team, PDP, and Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square

November/December 2008
Volume 5, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Ps' addresses to stay secret?
• FOI no longer fragile flower
• Kent County Council tells all about Ten Alps
• Register of employers released

Articles

• The new approach to publication schemes - Patricia Barratt, Senior Associate, Clifford Chance
• Publication of minutes, agendas & background papers - the latest guidance - Jackie Gray, and Julie Prior, Dickinson Dees
• Nationalisation of Bradford & Bingley and Northern Rock - an FOI perspective - James Dimmick, Pinsent Masons
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square

September/October 2008
Volume 5, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Model publication scheme 2009
• Nuclear authority right to withhold report
• Police forced to publish perks
• Scottish ICO orders release of tender information

Articles

• The ‘expansive approach’ to freedom of information - are the courts reining it in? - James Thorne and Doug Watson, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
• Protecting the dead - or guarding against them? - Dr Teresa Bastow, Head of The National Archives 'Freedom of Information' Centre, The National Archives
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner Damien Welfare, Barrister, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square
• The ICO’s Annual Report The Freedom of Information - Team at PDP

July/August 2008
Volume 4, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Secret Stansted data to be made public
• New Northern Ireland Assistant Commissioner
• Force to disclose
• Hostels kept secret

Articles

• Proposed revisions of Regulation 1049/2001 - a step too far? - Niamh Grogan and Gordon Christian, SJ Berwin LLP
• The commercial prejudice exemption - coming into its own? - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

May/June 2008
Volume 4, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Deputy gives annual FOI conference candid presentation
• First government department to be issued a formal practice recommendation by ICO
• Council pay rates on 'rich list'
• ICO guidance for handling FOI and EIR

Articles

• Can public authorities argue new FOIA exemptions or EIR exceptions on appeal? – Jeremy Ison, Clifford Chance
• The Freedom of Information Act’s approach to the form and format of information – Rhian Hill and Hazel Grant, Bird & Bird
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner – Winter 2008 – Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

March/April 2008
Volume 4, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ‘John Lewis list’ disclosed by Commons
• FOI ban on Northern Rock “unacceptable”
• Kevin Dunion reappointed
• NOMS receive practice recommendation

Articles

• Public sector contracts and prices - what must be disclosed? - Jackie Gray, Dickinson Dees
• Bavarian Lager - Rosemary Jay and James Muse, Pinsent Masons
• Recent decisions by Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square
• Is there privacy for public sector workers? - Hazel Grant and Rhian Hill, Bird & Bird
• Book review: Information Rights - Rosemary Jay, Pinsent Masons

January/February 2008
Volume 4, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FSA must name and shame mystery-shopped advisors
• Local waste contracts to be disclosed
• ITV and SKY caught by FOIA?
• FOI to be extended

Articles

• NHS Lothian case: the disclosure of private finance initiative contract - Hazel Moffat, DLA Piper
• The Environmental Information Regulations get a radiation burn: Ofcom and Sitefinder - Andrew Sharpe, Charles Russell
• The Freedom of Information Act: A sword rather than a shield approach - Jimmy Desai and David Jones, Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons
• Records Management and Freedom of Information - been there, done that, but do you have a practice recommendation yet? - Philip Jones, Staffordshire County Council
• A look back at 2007 and a glimpse at what’s to come in 2008 - Rosemary Jay, Pinsent Masons

November/December 2007
Volume 4, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI fees - no change after public outcry
• Prime Minister commits to more open government and wider access
• Council’s reputation at risk from poor records
• Groundbreaking Scottish ruling - NHS Lothian
• MP forced to reveal £40,000 travel expenses

Articles

• Legal advice and the Commissioner’s power to issue an Information Notice - Kelly Harris and Tracy Marshall, Shepherd and Wedderburn
• The Freedom of Information Act - does it ever apply to banks and financial institutions? - Jimmy Desai and David Jones, Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons
• Recent decisions by the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square
• Government consultation to bring private organisations into FOIA - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance

September/October 2007
Volume 4, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Ofcom’s phone mast website may shut down after ruling
• FSA set to appeal ICO decision
• Tax gap scrutinised by the ICO
• Guidance for sharing information

Articles

• The “Vauxhall Tower” decision in the Information Tribunal - a milestone case for the right to know – Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square
• Section 237(6) of the Enterprise Act and FOI law – an English and Scottish dichotomy – Simon Holmes and Gordon Christian, SJ Berwin
• When is information “held” under FOIA? – Hui Min Ch’ng, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• Recent decisions by the Information Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

July/August 2007
Volume 3, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• House of Lords ensure Parliament bound by FOI laws
• BBC in exclusion row
• Cover up over Deepcut deaths?
• MPs expenses to be made transparent

Articles

• Will the Information Commissioner get new teeth? - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• Freedom of Information in the EU - Andrew Sharpe, Charles Russell
• Release of employee information - decisions of the Scottish Information Commissioner - Grant S Campbell, Brodies
• Recent decisions by the Commissioner - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

April/May 2007
Volume 3, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• MPs block attempts to exempt Parliament from FOI law
• Information Tribunal develops backlog
• Commissioner may intervene in leukaemia case
• Publication schemes should include environmental information

Articles

• Review and appeals - the latest thinking - Rosemary Jay, Pinsent Masons
• Differing approaches to statutory prohibitions on disclosure - Kelly Harris and Alison White, Shepherd and Wedderburn
• Disclosing staff salaries and similar information - Jan Willem van den Bos, Denton Wilde Sapte

March/April 2007
Volume 3, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Delay to fees changes may see plans scrapped
• FOI - according to the ICO
• Openness creates pension problems for Chancellor
• Requests for access to images of dead body
• Patients leaving hospital with surgical implements inside them

Articles

• FOI and confidentiality - when will information be protected - Hazel Grant, Bird & Bird
• Spotlight of FOI moves closer to the heart of government - Marcus Turle, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• Recent decisions - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

January/February 2007
Volume 3, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• The MPs exemption - Falconer warns off Ministers
• Council ordered to disclose property addresses
• Derry City Council must disclose Ryanair deal
• Liverpool Council ordered to release prostitution documents
• The mystery of David Beckham’s video portrait

Articles

• Freedom of Information - not at a cost - Jackie Gray, Walker Morris
• Information - for free or for sale? - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• Court orders disclosure of medical information - Hazel Moffat, DLA Piper
• Scottish Executive ordered to release sensitive government information - Hazel Moffat, DLA Piper
• Information Tribunal - exemptions decisions - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square

November/December 2006
Volume 3, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI has led to greater trust in public authorities
• Exemption for ‘politically embarrassing material’
• FOI media coverage continuing to expand
• ICO adopts service level agreements
• Council forced to disclose information it denied having

Articles

• FOI Exemptions - Part VII - Hazel Grant and Alice Sculthorpe, Bird & Bird
• FOI requests - can contractual provisions adequately protect 3rd parties? - Varun Shingari and Mirza Ahmad, Birmingham City Council
• FOI in practice - Hertfordshire Constabulary - Barry Bland, Hertford Constabulary
• Unanswered questions relating to a simple FOI request - or a personal account of a request that failed? – Dr Chris Pounder, Pinsent Masons

September/October
Volume 3, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI/EIR - differences resolved?
• OPSI expects higher standard ‘re-use’
• FOI crisis in Australia
• Consultancy declared a ‘public authority’ under EIRs

Articles

• Pernod v OFT - FOIA is trumped by the Enterprise Act - Gordon Christian and Simon Holmes, SJ Berwin
• The Vauxhall Tower decision - opening up submissions to Ministers - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray’s Inn Square
• Operating a robust FOI regime - decisions of the Scottish Information Commissioner worth knowing - Hazel Moffat, DLA Piper
• Uncomfortable disclosures - identity cards - Jimmy Desai, Tarlo Lyons
• Book review - Freedom of Information handbook – Jimmy Desai, Tarlo Lyons

July/August 2006
Volume 2, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Constitutional Affairs Committee critiques FOI
• Publication schemes - ICO publishes new ‘policy’
• Fire at two records storage facilities - coincidence?
• Brown forced to reveal pensions information
• Records management ‘must be improved’

Articles

• Focus on enforcement - stopping public authorities from releasing information - Jeremy Ison, Clifford Chance
• The vexed question of vexatious requests - Marcus Turle, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• ‘A new chapter in openness’ - do the statistics agree? - Benjamin Beabey, Farrer & Co
• The National Archives workbook - Kevin Smith, The National Archives
• Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - one year on – David Maldon, ITI Scotland

May/June 2006
Volume 2, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Enforcement Notice issued on Iraq war advice
• DCA publishes annual report on operation of FOI in Central Government
• Commissioner grilled by Select Committee
• Commissioner urges communication with requesters

Articles

• Vexatious Requests, the Commissioner's first decision - Julia Apostle, Financial Times
• Understanding the Environmental Information Regulations - Damien Welfare, 2-3 Gray's Inn Square
• The FOI Act Exemptions Part VI - Hazel Grant and John Pullicino, Bird & Bird
• FOI Manual by Marcus Turle, Book Review - Usha Jagessar, DLA Piper

March/April 2006
Volume 2, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Local authority correct to treat requests as vexatious
• Media perspective on FOI
• DCA surprised at commercial bias in FOI requests
• FOI boosts records management
• 2005 statistics for ICO complaints
• Requesters can be asked reason for request

Articles

• Confidentiality and Commercial Interest, the verdict so far - Claire Walker, Olswang
• Ten things you need to know about the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations - Carolyn Bigg, Charles Russell
• Focus on Enforcement - Case Handling by the Information Tribunal - Jeremy Ison, Clifford Chance
• Electronic Records Management Part VI - Digital Preservation – Kelvin Smith, The National Archives

January/February 2006
Volume 2, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI - fees may be imposed
• Information Tribunal pushes boundaries in its first decisions
• FOI leads to better food standards
• Central Government - trends in FOI requests
• Backlog at Commissioner's office
• Education secretary ordered to disclose records

Articles

• Information Tribunal - the First Five Cases - Dan Tench, Olswang
• The FOI Act Exemptions Part V - Hazel Grant, Bird & Bird
• Electronic Records Management Part V - Digital Preservation - Kelvin Smith, The National Archives
• Use of Council Employee Data for Direct Marketing - Usha Jagessar, DLA Piper

November/December 2005
Volume 2, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI may allow access to records of the deceased
• 40% of NHS Trusts fail to respond to FOI requests
• Information delays criticised by editors
• Wartime records to be released
• Economic data to be published by Chancellor?
• Surgeons' mortality rates unlikely to be accessible under FOI
• Increase in FOI requests by voluntary groups

Articles

• Focus on Enforcement - the Information Commissioner's Approach to Case Handling - Jeremy Ison, Clifford Chance
• Requesting Information on the Deceased - Usha Jagessar, DLA Piper
• Electronic Records Management Part IV - File Plan Structure – Kelvin Smith, The National Archives

September/October 2005
Volume 2, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• BBC spends over £400,000 on FOI compliance
• Complaints - the state of play
• Companies using agencies to seek information
• New NHS code on records management proposed
• Latest on Information Fair Trader Scheme
• New German FOI law
• Zambia demands FOI law
• Scots delight in making FOI requests

Articles

• Electronic Records Management Part III - Evaluation and Appraisa - Kelvin Smith, The National Archives
• Commercial Interests - the Shawcross Decision - Nicolas Gray, Herbert Smith
• FOI and Commercial Litigation - Richard Grandison and Lisette Aguilar, Slaughter and May
• Commercial Withholding under FOI law - David Mallon, ITI Scotland

July/August 2005
Volume 1, Issue 6

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• Commercial secrets likely to be more readily available
• Commissioner's First Annual Report published
• Scottish Commissioner takes it personally
• Pernod seeks Bacardi figures
• Isle of Wight residents make full use of FOIA

Articles

• Electronic Records Management Part II - Managing records on LAN - Kelvin Smith, The National Archives
• The FOI Act Exemptions Part IV - Hazel Grant and Emily Unwin, Bird & Bird
• Statutory Prohibitions - opportunities missed - Usha Jagessar and Julia Apostle, DLA Piper
• The Re-use of Public Sector Information - Anna-Marie Harty and Brian Jones, Herbert Smith

May/June 2005
Volume 1, Issue 5

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• ICO agrees rules of FOI disclosure by government
• NHS Trust urged to adopt blanket disclosure ban
• Information Commissioner assesses current position
• India's new FOI law
• Restaurants under fire
• FOI in the United States – more difficult to obtain information
• Law firms seek information restrictions

Articles

• Electronic Records Management First Steps Part I - Kelvin Smith, The National Archives
• FOI in the UK, a Survey - Jim Amos, The Constitution Unit University College London
• FOI Act Exemptions Part III - Hazel Grant, Bird & Bird
• Queensland's FOI Processing Initiative - Gerry Cottle, Queensland Treasury
• The Media Experience of FOI Law So Far - Keith Mathieson, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain

March/April 2005
Volume 1, Issue 4

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI to be extended to private companies after election
• Requests top 8,000 in first two months of new law
• Iraq invasion - information disclosure
• Local authority decisions
• FOI Select Committee report - the government's response
• Press Complaints Commission escapes FOI
• Information Commissioner's role clarified
• EIR Code and fee guidance

Articles

• Could Copyright be an Obstacle to an Effective FOI Regime? - Julia Apostle and Mark Lawry, DLA Piper
• S.36 FOI Act and the Governmental Goldfish Bowl - Rosalind Ashcroft, Beachcroft Wansbroughs
• The Impact of FOI Laws on Academic Research - Susan Calman and David Gourlay, Dundas & Wilson

January/February 2005
Volume 1, Issue 3

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI Act in force
• Government accused of mass document destruction
• VAT on FOI requests
• Utilities - need to check information disclosure
• PSI implementation imminent
• Environmental Information Regulations published
• Scottish FOI decision
• Doctors' performance to be exposed

Articles

• Disclosures of Information by Business Regulator - John O'Hara, Denton Wilde Sapte and Marcus Turle, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• FOI Act Exemptions Part II - Hazel Grant and Rachel Fetches, Bird & Bird
• The Law of Freedom of Information by John Macdonald and Clive H Jones, book review
• The Realities of FOI, a Canadian Perspective - Professor Alasdair Roberts, Campbell Public Affairs Institute

November/December 2004
Volume 1, Issue 2

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI fees to be scrapped
• Private companies must act on FOI as soon as possible
• Government guidance on FOI published
• Survey reveals Government bodies not ready for FOI
• Will FOI compliance lead to copyright breaches?

Articles

• Impact of Environmental Regulations - Prof. Brian Jones, Herbert Smith
• FOI Act Exemptions Part I - Hazel Grant, Bird & Bird
• Practical Implications of the Records Management Code - Kelvin Smith, The National Archives
• FOI Impact on Non-public Organisations - Andrew Sharpe, Charles Russell

September/October 2004
Volume 1, Issue 1

View Front Cover (PDF)

News Items

• FOI fees still uncertain
• Commercial secrets could be revealed under FOI
• Government vetos to be scrutinised
• FOI guidance imminent
• Officials salaries to remain confidential

Articles

• Preparing for the January deadline - Marcus Turle, Field Fisher Waterhouse
• FOI, practical guide to implementing the Act (book review) - Kelvin Smith
• FOI and the Private Sector - Patricia Barratt, Clifford Chance
• Managing two FOI regimes in Scotland - David Mallon, MacRoberts Solrs
• Confidentiality v FOI - Keith Mathieson, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain