Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 7 September 2009 at 08:48
Tags: Broadcast, Freedom of Information, Law, Radio, Television
Freedom of Information requests have cost the BBC £3m to answer since the FoI Act was introduced in 2005.
An FoI request from The Guardian has revealed that the number of FoI requests to the BBC have increase from 971 in 2005 to 1,141 in the year to July this year.
Posted by
Alison Battisby
on 11 June 2009 at 15:23
Tags: Freedom of Information, Law, press freedom
The Campaign for Freedom of Information has welcomed some of Gordon Brown’s proposed changes to parliamentary transparency, including the cutting of the 30-year period before old official papers are made public to 20 years.
This was a substantial step, the Campaign said, even if it did not go as far as the 15 year period recommended by the Dacre Review earlier this year.
Brown announced the change yesterday in an attempt to improve trust in politics in the wake of the MPs expenses scandal.
Justice secretary Jack Straw is looking at the case for extending FoI. Currently the Act includes national and local government, but many so-called “quasi-autonmous” public bodies or “quangos” are exempt, despite spending billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money every year.
The announcements were not all good news however. CFOI expressed concern over Brown’s plans for some new exemptions from the Act - including Cabinet papers and information relating to the Royal family.
The group accused the government of trying to exclude cabinet papers from the scope of the Act altogether.
Maurice Frankel, the CFOI director, said: “Everyone accepts that Cabinet minutes should not normally be disclosed, other than in truly exceptional circumstances. But if someone asks for a paper submitted to a Cabinet committee five or 10 years ago that request should be considered on its merits.
“To exclude the whole class of Cabinet papers from the Act is an unnecessary, retrograde step, which will protect much material that does not need to be confidential and allow the top of level of government to operate in absolute secrecy.”
CFOI also pointed out that the Act already contains an exemption for information relating to communications with the Royal family, which is subject to the Act’s public interest test. It said additional protection was not needed.
Frankel said: “If, for example, there is correspondence between, say, Prince Charles and ministers about proposed legislation that should remain, as at present, potentially disclosable on public interest grounds.”
Posted by
Sally Griffith
on 13 May 2009 at 11:35
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law
Freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke has launched a campaign to get MPs’ expense receipts published immediately.
Brooke, who has been campaigning for the details to be released for years, has teamed up with the Taxpayers’ Alliance to create an online petition that calls on the House of Commons authorities to immediately publish the full receipts behind MPs’ expense claims – including second home addresses.
In March 2008, Brooke won a High Court case against the House of Commons for the full disclosure of MPs’ second home allowances.
The new petition asks the House to commit to publishing full receipts in future on a quarterly basis and demands that an independent person be allowed access to the full record “to ensure no MPs are deleting information to avoid criticism or embarrassment”.
On her website, Your Right To Know, Brooke says: “The only power the people do have is to band together and shame the powerful into doing what’s right.
“The more names on this petition the greater the chance we can start dictating a new relationship between politicians and the people.”
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 16 March 2009 at 08:33
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law, National Newspapers
The Guardian will tomorrow attempt to force the Ministry of Justice to reveal details about judges who have been disciplined for misconduct.
A Freedom of Information request to reveal details of misbehaving judges has been refused by the MoJ so The Guardian has appealed to the Information Tribunal - the body which adjudicates FoI appeals.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 29 January 2009 at 09:08
Tags: Freedom of Information
Members of the Welsh assembly are to have their expenses published online every month - in a move which should be a boon for journalists covering the Welsh parliament.
It follows a row over two Welsh AMs claiming for the purchase of iPods.
In the Scottish parliament MPs publish their expenses quarterly.
After a lengthy freedom of information battle by journalists, the UK parliament has yet to resolve what MP expenses will be made public on an ongoing basis.
Posted by
Rachael Gallagher
on 16 December 2008 at 13:46
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law
The Information Commissioner’s Office has been warned to prepare for a possible cut in funding, which could directly affect Freedom of Information.
The Freedom of Information blog reports that in minutes of a meeting held at the ICO office last month it states that funding across the public sector will be tight next year, and the ICO needs to plan for possible reductions in grant in aid, “despite our understanding that the £.5 million paid this year was a baseline figure”.
Press Gazette reported in January that the existing backlog of Freedom of Information appeals to the Information Commissioner’s Office was so long it would take until March 2010 to clear.
Surely a reduction in funding would lead to a further increase in the backlog?
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 24 November 2008 at 11:07
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law, press freedom
A bill which could have given the Government power to snoop on every phonecall, email and text message made in Britain will not be in the Queen’s Speech next month, according to the Telegraph.
This will be seen by many as good news for journalists - as the new law would have raised concerns that it could be used to find confidential journalistic sources and thus undermine press freedom.
The new legislation will only be proposed after a three-month consultation period beginning in January, the Telegraph reports.
News of the proposed “Big Brother database” was broken by The Independent last month.
The protection of journalists’ sources has already been significantly weakened in UK law by the Terrorism Act.
In July Greater Manchester Police used the act to force freelance journalist Shiv Malik to hand over confidential notes of his conversations with a suspected terrorist.
UPDATE…
As pointed out by a comment below, news of the proposed Big Brother database was actually reported by The Times back in May - and not broken by the Independent.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 30 June 2008 at 09:40
Tags: Broadcast, Freedom of Information, National Newspapers, New Media, Regional Newspapers
Journalists in Scotland could get the chance to file Freedom of Information Act requests to a wider range of bodies.
Scottish ministers are considering extending the scope of the Scottish version of the FOI Act, which applies to public bodies in Scotland, BBC News reports.
Housing associations, private finance projects and private prisons are among a number of new organsiations that could become subject to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act.
The UK-wide Freedom of Information Act 2000 can also be extended to further public bodies.
The Government held a consultation on extending the list of bodies subject requests filed under the Act earlier this year.
As part of that process, the Campaign For Freedom of Information called for voluntary organisations and private bodies that perform public functions, such as academy schools, housing associations, new deal communities partnerships and local strategic partnerships — to be added to the list of bodies subject to the Act.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 26 June 2008 at 13:16
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, National Newspapers, Online, Regional Newspapers
London mayor Boris Johnson’s plan to disclose maps of crimes committed in the capital is being held up by “an unthinking, fetishistic attitude towards privacy“, freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke argues in the Times today.
“When I was a crime reporter in America, I was able to view all police incident reports, jail booking records and every warrant signed by the magistrate. I had some privileges as a reporter, but all this information was considered to belong to the public,” she notes.
In Britain, by contrast, she has found similar data is impossible to obtain, even under the Freedom of Information Act.
Brooke notes that crime maps that hold local police to account are a fixture of local newpapers’ websites in the United States, and that a number of independent sites, like Everyblock and Spotcrime, have emerged to provide more detailed views of local crime data.
In April, the Conservative Party has pledged to introduce crime mapping in the UK, and Johnson said during his campaign for Mayor that he would begin work toward introducing the policy to London on “day one” of his administration.
The plan now has Government support. But it has also plan has faced opposition from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, who fear its effect on house prices.
More crucially, the Information Commissioner’s office has advised police that the plan could breach the Data Protection Act and violate the privacy of crime victims.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 3 June 2008 at 09:26
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law
The Daily Mail reports that MPs spent £82,673 on their own legal fees and a further £39,000 for the journalists who fought in court to make MPs disclose their spending. There is another bill of £48,847 for other legal advice relating to MPs’ expenses.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 27 May 2008 at 14:29
Tags: Freedom of Information, Regional Newspapers
The Isle of Man could get its own Freedom of Information Act.
The chief minister, Tony Brown, told the island’s parliament, the Tynwald, that an Access to Information bill was being drafted and would be introduced to its lower house, the House of Keys, in as part of the 2008-09 legislative programme.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 23 May 2008 at 12:36
Tags: Freedom of Information, National Newspapers, Regional Newspapers
Conservative MP David MacLean, who last year sponsored a controversial private member’s bill to exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act, is interviewed today in the Cumberland News.
Asked whether MPs’ shouldn’t be more accountable to the electorate about how they spend their allowances, MacLean said: “Yes, but not to that extent. It becomes grubby and salacious. People do have a right to know ‘Did I use taxpayers’ money improperly?’ but getting down to individual receipt items to see where you bought your pillowcases is just a bit silly. If we publish whether we bought pizza or fish and chips it won’t improve our standing.”
Maclean’s comments come on the day when receipts for 14 past and present MPs expenses are expected to be published following a High Court victory by three journalists who had requested them under the Freedom of Information Act.
According to the Telegraph, the Commons members Estimate Committee has also agreed to publish about 1 million receipts covering claims from all 646 MPs.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 23 May 2008 at 09:45
Tags: Broadcast, Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law, Magazines, National Newspapers, New Media, PR, Regional Newspapers
Police forces are spending nearly £40 million a year on public relations, a figure that has gone up 13 per cent over the past two years.
The figures where compiled by using Freedom of Information Act requests to all police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Four forces failed to reply.
Heather Brooke, one of the journalists who last week won the high court vicotry forcing Parliament to hand over details of MPs’ expenses, supervised the three-month investigation.
In analysis piece run with the report, she writes: “Many forces now see it as their business not just to cut crime but to manage the public’s perception of crime. This is wrong. The police are paid to do one job: enforce the law. They have no business being in the PR racket.”
The Times notes concerns that as part of their PR efforts, some police forces are withholding information about serious crime in an effort to manipulate the news agenda.
Once of the police forces mentioned in the Times report is Northumbria Police, which has increased its PR spend by 55 per cent in two years. Freelance journalist Nigel Green has lodged an official complaint after finding that the force had failed to release details of many crimes to the media.
Update: A complete spreadsheet of the police spending figures is available on the website of freelance James Ball, who wrote the story (and who is a a frequent contributor to Press Gazette).
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 20 May 2008 at 08:52
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, National Newspapers
MPs are to be forced to publish details of more than a million receipts for shopping bills and other items following last week’s victory for journalists in a Freedom of Information appeal at the High Court.
The Daily Telegraph reports that details of everything from mortgage repayments to food bills will be released to the three journalists who made the original request by 4pm on Friday.
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 17 May 2008 at 10:11
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, Law
Journalist and freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke has welcomed this week’s High Court freedom of information ruling that the expenses details for 14 MPs should be disclosed.
Brooke, who had worked with the Sunday Telegraph’s Ben Leapman and the Sunday Times’s Jonathan Ungoed-Thomas, said the lengthy legal battle had “severely damaged public trust in parliament”.
“This ruling will wrest control from the old boys’ club and put it back where it belongs – with the constituents,” she said.
“What’s disappointing is that it took three years of concerted effort to counter the relentless opposition from the House of Commons and speaker Michael Martin, who used taxpayer money throughout to block [it].”
Writing on her blog, she adds: “It’s not right that a citizen is forced to fight so hard for such a basic level of democratic accountability from our elected representatives.”
According to the FT, the Commons has already spent in the region of £100,000 on its legal attempt to block the disclosure, and is considering whether it should launch an eleventh-hour appeal.
The Sunday Times, meanwhile, says some of the expenses documents at the centre of last week’s FoI ruling have already been shredded.
Tony Blair’s claim forms, itemising his household expenses, were destroyed by mistake, with Westminster officials unaware that they were the subject of an ongoing legal challenge, the paper claims.
Posted by
Dominic Ponsford
on 10 April 2008 at 11:37
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism, National Newspapers
Conservative Leader David Cameron addressed journalists at the British Press Awards on Tuesday night.
Speaking later to Press Gazette, Cameron pledged his support for media self-regulation and plans to expand the scope of the Freedom of Information Act.
The full interview appears in this week’s issue of Press Gazette, which is out today.
Posted by
Paul McNally
on 5 April 2008 at 15:16
Tags: Freedom of Information
Prime minister Gordon Brown charged a Sky Sports subscription and his TV licence fee to expenses, newly released data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed.
The disclosure comes after MPs decided not to appeal against the Information Commissioner’s ruling that expense details for about a dozen key politicians should be made public.
A separate case, which could see all MPs’ expenses made public, is currently before the High Court.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 10 March 2008 at 09:22
Tags: Freedom of Information, Journalism
Writing int he Mail on Sunday, Freedom of Information campaigner Heather Brooke contrasts the expenses regime in Parliament with that of the Washington state legislature, which she covered 15 years ago as a young reporter in the United States: (more…)
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 3 March 2008 at 13:12
Tags: Freedom of Information, Regional Newspapers
The PR chief of a London borough council has argued that public sector press officers must defend themselves against journalists’ “pointless muck-raking” with Freedom of Information requests, PR Week reports.
“Aspiring reporters are too often spellbound by what they see as inside information that is little more than gossip and conspiracy theories,” Brent Council director of communications Toni McConville said after winning an appeal to the Information Commissioner over a request filed by the Willesden & Brent Times, which had been seeking personal information about two former council employees.
Posted by
Martin Stabe
on 3 March 2008 at 09:13
Tags: Freedom of Information
Ben Leapman of the Sunday Telegraph is celebrating the Information Tribunal case that saw him — along with fellow journalists Jon Ungoed-Thomas of the Sunday Times and freelance Heather Brooke — win a landmark ruling that MPs’ second-home expenses must be disclosed.
The ruling, Leapman wrote in yesterday’s paper, “could end a few careers” at Westminster.
The piece charts the progress of Leapman’s request from 2005, when he first requested six MPs’ claims for Additional Costs Allowance through the appeals process until last week’s ruling.
Leapman writes: “The three-year delay exposes a wider weakness in Freedom of Information. Public officials can push issues into the long grass by withholding documents that ought to be released. At Westminster, there is talk of scrapping allowances and giving MPs a big pay rise to compensate. If this is meant to restore public confidence, I do not think it will work.”
In a leader, the paper adds that: “The only people to benefit from continued secrecy are corrupt MPs who are cheating on their expenses. It is our money, not theirs, and we have the right to know that it is not being misused.”
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