Category: freedom of information

Regina (Guardian News and Media Ltd) v City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court – WLR Daily

Posted January 13th, 2011 in disclosure, extradition, freedom of information, law reports, media by sally

Regina (Guardian News and Media Ltd) v City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court [2010] EWHC 3376 (Admin); [2011] WLR (D) 349

“Art 10 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms did not alter the settled law that the principle of open justice in criminal proceedings did not extend to a right for the press or the public to inspect documents or other exhibits placed before a court during such proceedings, or require the Criminal Procedure Rules 2010 to be interpreted as conferring any right of inspection of written evidence.”

WLR Daily, 12th January 2011

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Opening up public bodies to public scrutiny – Ministry of Justice

Posted January 10th, 2011 in freedom of information, government departments, news by sally

“New plans to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to open up government and other bodies to public scrutiny, were unveiled by the Ministry of Justice today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 7th January 2011

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Royal Family granted new right of secrecy – The Independent

Posted January 10th, 2011 in freedom of information, news, royal family by sally

“The Royal Family is to be granted absolute protection from public scrutiny in a controversial legal reform designed to draw a veil of secrecy over the affairs of the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William.”

Full story

The Independent, 8th January 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Freedom of Information could cover hundreds more bodies – BBC News

Posted January 6th, 2011 in freedom of information, news by sally

“Hundreds more organisations could be made subject to Freedom of Information laws, Deputy PM Nick Clegg is to say.”

Full story

BBC News, 6th January 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tribunal orders Government department to release IT contract details – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 24th, 2010 in disclosure, freedom of information, government departments, news, tenders, tribunals by sally

“The Information Tribunal has ordered a Government department to publish most of the till-now withheld details of a major IT contract after ruling that the public interest was served better by disclosure than secrecy.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 24th September 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

Prince Charles’s letters to ministers stay secret as appeal is adjourned – The Guardian

Posted September 17th, 2010 in constitutional law, freedom of information, news, royal family by sally

“Freedom of information hearing delayed until next year for reasons panel cannot ‘go into.’ ”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Royal pressure ‘led to FoI ban on disclosure of lobbying by Charles’ – The Guardian

Posted September 14th, 2010 in disclosure, freedom of information, news, royal family, tribunals by sally

“Guardian to go to tribunal to gain access to letters to ministers, while Act amendments may mean 20-year block on letters.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Plans to extend freedom of information – Ministry of Justice

Posted September 8th, 2010 in freedom of information, Ministry of Justice, press releases by sally

“The Government wants to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to increase transparency.”

Full press release

Ministry of Justice, 7th September 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Revealed: brutal guide to punishing jailed youths – The Observer

Posted July 19th, 2010 in freedom of information, news, prison officers, prisons, reports, restraint, young offenders by sally

“Shocking details of techniques used to inflict pain deliberately on children in privately run jails have been revealed for the first time in a government document obtained by the Observer.”

Full story

The Observer, 18th July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Post-It notes and the end of written history – BBC News

Posted July 1st, 2010 in disclosure, documents, freedom of information, ministers' powers and duties, news by sally

“The new coalition government is currently deciding when the legislation, which follows a review of secrecy rules by a committee chaired by Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, will come into effect.”

Full story

BBC News, 1st July 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

FOI does not require disclosure of BBC report, rules Court of Appeal – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 25th, 2010 in appeals, BBC, disclosure, freedom of information, media, news, reports by sally

“The BBC does not have to publish a report into its Middle East coverage, the Court of Appeal has ruled. A Freedom of Information (FOI) Act exemption for journalism applies to material even if it is held for other purposes, said the Court.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 25th June 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

British Broadcasting Corporation and another v Sugar (No 2) – WLR Daily

Posted June 25th, 2010 in appeals, BBC, disclosure, freedom of information, law reports, media, reports by sally

British Broadcasting Corporation and another v Sugar (No 2) [2010] EWCA Civ 715; [2010] WLR (D) 157

“Once it was established that information, requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, was held by the BBC as a public authority for the purposes of journalism (a word that was to be given its natural meaning), it was effectively exempt from production under the 2000 Act, even if the information was also held by the authority for other purposes.”

WLR Daily, 24th June 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

One in four FOI requests turned down by public bodies – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 1st, 2010 in freedom of information, government departments, news, statistics by sally

“Almost one in four Freedom of Information requests are being turned down by Government departments and public bodies, and the trend is getting worse.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 31st May 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Government outlines plans on privacy and surveillance – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 14th, 2010 in closed circuit television, defamation, DNA, freedom of expression, freedom of information, news, privacy by sally

“The new Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition Government said that it will beef up freedom of information law and reduce the number of people whose details are held on the Government’s DNA database.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 13th May 2010

Source: www.out-law.com

Council breached information law – BBC News

Posted May 14th, 2010 in freedom of information, local government, news by sally

“A council has been told it breached the Freedom of Information Act by failing to provide an AM details about the cost of employing education consultants.”

Full story

BBC News, 14th May 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Greater transparency in Freedom of Information – Ministry of Justice

Posted March 30th, 2010 in financial services ombudsman, freedom of information, Ministry of Justice, news, police, universities by sally

“The Freedom of Information Act will be extended to cover four more public bodies and increase the public’s right to access information, Justice Minister Michael Wills announced today.”

Full story

Ministry of Justice, 30th March 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

R (One Search Direct Holdings Ltd (trading as One Search Direct)) v York City Council – WLR Daily

Posted March 24th, 2010 in freedom of information, home information packs, law reports, local government by sally

R (One Search Direct Holdings Ltd (trading as One Search Direct)) v York City Council [2010] EWHC 590 (Admin); [2010] WLR (D) 87

“In failing to provide access to unrefined information, the council was not acting in a way that was contrary to the Government’s intention not to impose an obligation on authorities to allow such access, nor to the aims and purposes of the statutory provisions, including the subsidiary legislation made by the Secretary of State.”

WLR Daily, 23rd March 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note that once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Animal rights activist using FOI laws to target universities – The Guardian

Posted March 15th, 2010 in demonstrations, freedom of information, news, universities, vivisection by sally

“A convicted animal rights activist is using freedom of information laws to force universities to reveal details of their animal experiments, raising fears that scientists involved could suffer renewed intimidation.”

Full story

The Guardian, 15th March 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

30-year rule on release of secret government papers cut to 20 years – The Guardian

Posted March 1st, 2010 in archives, disclosure, documents, freedom of information, news by sally

“Secret government papers are to be released after a delay of 20 years in a change from the current 30-year rule, the Ministry of Justice announced yesterday (25 February).”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Miners’ solicitors bombard government with FoI requests – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 18th, 2010 in compensation, freedom of information, miners, news by sally

“The government has been overloaded with freedom of information (FoI) requests made by solicitors acting for former coal miners ahead of the first coordinated negligence action for alleged under-settlement of government compensation claims.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 18th February 2010

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk