Names of MPs staff: Internal Review Results
Mar 30, 2005 Campaigns, Central Government, Request Diary
I received a decision notice (below) from the Commons last Thursday (hard copy arrived today) in relation to my FOIA request for the names and salary details of MPs staff. You can read my original letter to the House of Commons sent 2 January 2005. I made the request in order [...]
Names of MPs staff: FOI Request
Mar 30, 2005 Central Government, Request Diary
Judy Wilson
Freedom of Information Officer
House of Commons Information Office
Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA
January 2, 2005
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST: MPs STAFF NAMES AND SALARIES
Dear Ms Wilson
I am writing to request a listing of all MPsďż˝ staff by name along with their individual salaries. My preferred format to receive this information is electronically either as a database on [...]
Article: Parliament crime figures
Mar 27, 2005 Articles, Central Government, FOI in the news
I wrote this article based on two FOI requests made to the House of Commons and Lords security service. The detailed incident logs and correspondence will be posted shortly.
Commons thieves walk off with MPs’ valuables – and a sandwich
The Sunday Times, March 27, 2005
By Heather Brooke
The Houses of Parliament have been revealed as rich [...]
Iraq War resignation letter censored
Mar 24, 2005 Central Government, Defence, FOI in the news
The Guardian
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Thursday March 24, 2005
The government yesterday tried to suppress evidence that the attorney general believed war against Iraq was illegal less than two weeks before British troops joined the US-led invasion of the country.
It has removed a key passage in the resignation letter written by Elizabeth Wilmshurst, deputy chief legal adviser [...]
More on the feudal farm subsidy system
Mar 23, 2005 Environment, FOI in the news
Most of the national papers picked up on the release of farm subsidy information.
The Guardian focused on how much of the money goes to the Royal family and agribusiness.
Royal farms get Ł1m from taxpayers
David Hencke and Rob Evans
Leader: Another countryside
Agriculture subsidies: A little bit of history was made yesterday when the government finally [...]
Editorial in The Independent
Mar 23, 2005 Articles, Environment
In a modern democracy we should not have to go begging for scraps of information.
Results of Internal Review: Attorney General’s advice on Iraq War, ID Cards and listing of advice
Mar 22, 2005 Central Government, Request Diary
I received the response below from the Attorney General’s Chambers. It details the results of their internal review on their decision to refuse my FOI requests for the Attorney General’s advice on the Iraq War, advice on ID cards and a listing of all the topics on which the Attorney General’s advice was sought.
In summary, [...]
Releasing the names of public officials
Mar 17, 2005 Articles, Individuals
No more shadowy figures
Wednesday March 16, 2005
The Guardian
The Freedom of Information Act is pressing authorities to reveal the names of staff. In Seattle they call it accountability. Heather Brooke asks if we should follow suit
Not many people would choose telephoning a call centre over speaking to a named individual, yet many public authorities [...]
Newspapers working for the public
Mar 16, 2005 Campaigns, FOI in the news
Can you spot what’s odd about the story below?
How open is open?
BY JOE GERAGHTY
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
13 March 2005
Reporters at the Bristol Herald Courier participated in Sunshine Week, a nationwide effort to test the accessibility of public records.
Five members of the Bristol Herald Courier staff fanned out across the region March 3 to assess local governments’ [...]
Hospitals denying patients vital information
Mar 16, 2005 FOI in the news, Health
The Guardian newspaper today published the results of its investigation into heart surgeons. The newspaper used 36 simultaneous applications under the Freedom of Information Act to extract for the first time national data about the individual mortality rates of all cardiac surgeons practising in the NHS.
The exercise found:
One London teaching hospital where trust [...]
