| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
On 30 November 2000 the UK Government enacted legislation leading to the formalisation of freedom of official government information (within specified bounds) for the UK voting public. The Freedom Information Act (FOI Act), although passed into law in 2000, did not come into full effect in the UK until January 2005. In order to 'police' the Act, the Information Commissioner's Organisation (ICO) was set up. The ICO is responsible for monitoring the performance of 43 government bodies1 against performance requirements under the FOI Act 2000. This includes a deadline for responding to initial Requests for Information (RFIs) of 20 working-days. The ICO also handles any unresolved2 complaints or disputes concerning non-disclosure or late release of information requested under an RFI.
To head the ICO, the new post of Information Commissioner was created in January 2001, subsuming the previous role of the Data Protection Registrar.3 The incumbent works within the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), reporting directly to Parliament in order to remain politically independent.4 The powers of the Information Commissioner include the use of various levels of sanction. These include formal legal action against government bodies that fail to comply with the provisions of the FOI Act 2000 and other related information legislation.5 Every quarter, and annually, the UK Statistics Authority, on behalf of the ICO and the MOJ, reports on the performance of all 43 monitored government bodies against the requirements of the FOI Act 2000.
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