Freedom of Information Act

[Dick Swiveller]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ld-be-watered-down-as-review-is-launched.html

With a review likely to water down the act, what are people's views? Whilst it has helped uncover a lot of wrong doing that would likely have otherwise remained hidden, it does seem to be massively abused - persistent trouble makers and journalists most to blame. Among all of the genuine requests are a lot of frivolous requests that tie up a lot of resources on what are essentially fishing trips. For example, I had to drop everything for an hour to urgently respond to a BBC request for figures that bore no relation to the small piece they were doing on the local part of Sunday politics and were never used. A non story presumably resulted in a scattershot of FOI requests all over the South East despite the focus being in Medway.

Anyone else had experience of frivolous requests and will it be the death of genuine requests?

 

[Igzilla]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ld-be-watered-down-as-review-is-launched.html

With a review likely to water down the act, what are people's views? Whilst it has helped uncover a lot of wrong doing that would likely have otherwise remained hidden, it does seem to be massively abused - persistent trouble makers and journalists most to blame. Among all of the genuine requests are a lot of frivolous requests that tie up a lot of resources on what are essentially fishing trips. For example, I had to drop everything for an hour to urgently respond to a BBC request for figures that bore no relation to the small piece they were doing on the local part of Sunday politics and were never used. A non story presumably resulted in a scattershot of FOI requests all over the South East despite the focus being in Medway.

Anyone else had experience of frivolous requests and will it be the death of genuine requests?

I haven't had any personal experience with requests, but my own view is that a bit of inconvenience is probably on balance worth it in order to highlight abuses of power, corruption, illegality etc etc.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Good lord: if they remove this power, the Argus will surely fold. I can't imagine how they will fill their pages without having the chance to bombard public bodies with stupid requests about how many packets of biscuits they order annually.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Good lord: if they remove this power, the Argus will surely fold. I can't imagine how they will fill their pages without having the chance to bombard public bodies with stupid requests about how many packets of biscuits they order annually.

Will they have to specify the types of biscuit too as some public bodies don't classify a jaffa cake as being a biscuit ?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Will they have to specify the types of biscuit too as some public bodies don't classify a jaffa cake as being a biscuit ?

Good point. I hope the Argus asked that pertinent question. It's a highly important VAT issue that the public deserve to know about.

 

[Ernest]

Another attempt by the Tories to neuter any oppostion

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

In his memoirs Tony Blair describes the Freedom of Information act as a mistake. probably well intentioned, like the dangerous dogs act and the gun control measures after Dunblane, but it hasn't done what it was designed to do. No wonder the journalists are up in arms there are plans to amend it, God's gift to lazy journalism.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

In his memoirs Tony Blair describes the Freedom of Information act as a mistake. probably well intentioned, like the dangerous dogs act and the gun control measures after Dunblane, but it hasn't done what it was designed to do. No wonder the journalists are up in arms there are plans to amend it, God's gift to lazy journalism.

Before anybody posts that of course Tony Blair wouldn't like anything which might help get to the truth, that's not my point.

My point is that as far as I can see the FoA has not helped uncover loads of scandals. But scandals have still been uncovered by both good investigative journalism and leaks.

But what the FoA has done is to tie up loads of people in unnecessary demands for information.

I don't think it should be abolished but it does need amending.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

When I worked in local government, the local media used to employ quality local journalists who knew how to investigate what was going on. The journos have long since disappeared, to be replaced by kids just out of college who imagine that all you need to dig out a story is an email contact with a public body's PR office.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

Before anybody posts that of course Tony Blair wouldn't like anything which might help get to the truth, that's not my point.

My point is that as far as I can see the FoA has not helped uncover loads of scandals. But scandals have still been uncovered by both good investigative journalism and leaks.

But what the FoA has done is to tie up loads of people in unnecessary demands for information.

I don't think it should be abolished but it does need amending.

It used to tie me up for a good day a week when I was the co-ordinator for our section for answering FOI requests. Most of them were trivial, such as how many people worked in such and such an area (I was in HR), and a good number of those asking for substantial information we couldn't answer anyway, such as how much a speaker was paid to address senior Civil Servants, as such information relates to an individual and is therefore confidential or exempt on the grounds of commercial confidentiality. Also, having to get bits of information from across the office added to the task and made it very difficult to meet the 20 day deadline (a large number of the requests had to be cleared by a Minister as well). I was on about £25,000 a year at the time, in other words my work cost the taxpayer £5,000 a year. Multiply that by however many staff across the office were doing the same and you'll see how much it cost. Again, not saying the FOI Act needs to be abolished, but it definitely needs reform.

 

[Albumen]

Good lord: if they remove this power, the Argus will surely fold. I can't imagine how they will fill their pages without having the chance to bombard public bodies with stupid requests about how many packets of biscuits they order annually.

Yep. Every third FOI at our office is from the Argus and we have to spend valuable time answering them as it's the law. And it's the Argus that blames us for wasting resources. The ****wits.
I'm all for transparency but the current law should be looked at.

 

[Nibble]

Another reason for Tory voters to hang their heads in shame.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Another reason for Tory voters to hang their heads in shame.

Er... Labour introduced the act that most people on this thread seem to agree hasn't worked. I know not many people responded but only one even vaguely in favour of the Act as it is.

 

[Lethargic]

So if maybe just in case what if who knows

 

[SAC]

Without the act, how will we be able to check the difference between the quoted attendance and real attendance figures at the Amex?

Bloody Tories ruining our fun.