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  • Archives for FOI (22)

More Open but Not More Trusted? The Effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the United Kingdom Central Government – BEN WORTHY (PDF)

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Published on: October 30, 2010

Flag of the United Kingdom, Union Flag.Image via WikipediaMore Open but Not More Trusted? The Effect of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on the United Kingdom Central Government
BEN WORTHY*

This article examines the impact of Britain’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 on British central government. The article identifies six objectives for FOI in the United Kingdom and then examines to what extent FOI has met them, briefly comparing the United Kingdom with similar legislation in Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. It concludes that FOI has achieved the core objectives of increasing transparency and accountability, though the latter only in particular circumstances, but not the four secondary
objectives: improved decision-making by government, improved public understanding, increased participation, and trust in government. This is not because the Act has “failed” but because the objectives were overly ambitious and FOI is shaped by the political environment in which it is placed.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0491.2010.01498.x/pdf

City refuses to release noise exemption letter signed by Mayor – CityCaucus.com

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Published on: October 13, 2010
http://www.citycaucus.com/2010/10/city-refuses-to-release-noise-exemption-letter-signed-by-mayor

It should be a basic right for any  citizen to get access to documents signed by the Mayor authorizing a  variance to the noise by-law. Unfortunately, it has become common  practice for this civic administration to hold back documents and keep them  far from public view for as long as humanly possible.

I can’t imagine  how they’ll be able to run again in 2011 with a campaign promise of  wanting to make this the most “open and transparent” civic government in  Canada. If they do, they’ll be laughed out of the room.”

FOIwiki – helping you unlock the secrets of UK Freedom of Information laws

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Published on: September 21, 2010

FOIwiki is designed to help you ensure your Freedom of Information requests are fairly treated by Public Authorities. Often the Authority will misapply an Exemption to your request and not supply the information you’re after. This site allows you to check the law and official guidance all in one place.
The Freedom of Information laws all roughly follow the same process, although there are some subtle differences:

  1. you make an information request to a public authority
  2. the authority can ask you to clarify this
  3. under certain circumstances, the authority may ask you to pay a fee to cover printing and postage or other costs
  4. you wait for them to answer back within a certain time period
  5. the authority will either send you the information you ask or will refuse to send it, claiming one or more exemptions that are allowed to them under the laws.
  6. for refusals, you can make an appeal to the authority to get them to reconsider the exemptions
  7. if this is still unsuccessful, you can apply to the Information Commissioner (or the Scottish Information Commissioner) for a decision on the matter
  8. if this is still unsuccessful, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) (or the Court of Session for Scotland’s FOI laws)

Scotland’s LibDems FOI Request Shows Massive Data Losses Across Government

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Published on: August 30, 2010

flying yellow birdImage via Wikipedia
“A Freedom of Information petition by the Liberal Democrats has revealed massive data losses in government organisations across the UK and Scotland.

See all stories on this topic »

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LibDems FOI Request Shows Massive Data Losses Across Government:

Offshore oil boards not in conflict of interest with industry

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Published on: August 30, 2010

personal photograph, picture of unknown oil pl...Image via Wikipedia Offshore oil boards not in conflict of interest with industry: “

Hill Times

Both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland governments are now planning to amend the in submitting five access to information requests to the Newfoundland board

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Unlock sex offender data

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Published on: August 27, 2010
Scottish housing providers were refused statistics on sex offenders but have won an appeal.

Emma Gilpin, senior solicitor in public law at Brodies, explains.

The Court of Session in Scotland has upheld an appeal by Craigdale Housing Association and a number of other housing associations against a decision of the Scottish Information Commissioner to refuse them access to information about numbers of sex offenders living within the housing association’s area.

The request

The housing associations made the request to Strathclyde Police under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to help them work out whether there was a greater ‘burden’ placed on those areas served by the housing associations – in terms of the numbers of registered sex offenders living in those areas – than on areas deemed to be more ‘affluent’.

Strathclyde Police refused to provide the information and argued that it was ‘exempt’ from release. The Scottish Information Commissioner – who is responsible for checking that public authorities comply with their duties under FOI – upheld the police’s decision to withhold the information.

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6511381

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Projet Montreal wants documents public

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Published on: August 27, 2010

5x4 panorama of Montreal City Hall with a Cano...Image via Wikipedia Projet Montreal wants documents public

Friday, August 27, 2010

The Gazette

MONTREAL- Genieau, the consortium that lost Montreal’s $355.8-million water-management contract, says it hasn’t decided whether it will fight the city to keep it from making parts of its $34-million claim for the cancellation of the controversial contract public.

Opposition party Projet Montreal filed an access to information request with the city to see the bills and other documents that Genieau submitted with its claim last month.

The city clerk’s office, which handles access requests, wrote to the party yesterday saying that certain documents are confidential, including contracts Genieau had signed with subcontractors. The city clerk’s office also said it thinks the company’s summary invoices, covering assorted supplies of goods or services, should be public.

Genieau has 15 days to file an appeal with Quebec’s access to information commission to try to keep the invoices secret.

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.montrealgazette.com/mobile/iphone/story.html?id=3448652

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What FOI Told you today: Fourteen Manitoba prisoners have been released from jail by mistake since the beginning of 2007

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Published on: June 8, 2010
Winnipeg Sun logo used from 1999 until 2004.Image via Wikipedia

Prisoners accidentally freed

By PAUL TURENNE, Winnipeg Sun

Last Updated: June 7, 2010 1:44pm

Fourteen Manitoba prisoners have been released from jail by mistake since the beginning of 2007, according to statistics obtained by the Opposition Tories.

The Tories released figures Monday that they received from Manitoba Justice through an access to information request related to accidental releases from custody.

The figures show that three people have been released from custody by mistake so far in 2010. Similar mistakes happened six times in 2009, twice in 2008, three times in 2007 and not once in 2006, according to the same document.

Full Article: http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2010/06/07/14294661.html

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CBC’s The Current Podcast: 04/02/10: Pt 3 – Accountability Act

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Published on: February 15, 2010
Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of CanadaImage via Wikipedia

The Current Podcast

The Current is a meeting place of perspectives with a fresh take on issues that affect Canadians today.

04/02/10: Pt 3 – Accountability Act

Stephen Harper rode into office promising open, transparent and above all accountable government. Four years later, we’re asking whether he’s delivered it.

Privacy law helps the government hide (TimesColonist via the privacylawyer.ca)

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Published on: November 27, 2009
Vancouver 2010 InukshukImage by janusz l via Flickr

Privacy law helps the government hide
 
Les Leyne
Times Colonist

When reporters were briefed a couple of weeks ago on how the Olympic torch relay would go down, they were told no identities of the runners would be supplied, because of “privacy law.”
Apparently the people who eagerly volunteered to wear bright white suits while carrying burning torches in front of TV cameras and thousands of people wanted their privacy, along with all the fame and glory.

They wanted no such thing, of course. They were only too happy to joyously volunteer their names on their own. The edict was simply the decision of torch functionaries eager to exercise some of their authority. It was a good example of how privacy law has vastly enhanced officials’ first inclination to say “no” to every request.

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The highest measure of democracy is neither the 'extent of freedom' nor the 'extent of equality', but rather the highest measure of participation. - Alain de Benoist (French theoretician)
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