New contact details: UK Trade & Investment
Jul 28, 2005 Book Updates, Companies
The point of contact for UK Trade & Investment’s Publication Scheme is now:
Caroline Llewellyn
UK Trade & Investment Open Government Team
Bay 155, Kingsgate House
66-74 Victoria Street
London SW1E 6SW
020 7215 2427
caroline.llewellyn@uktradeinvest.gov.uk
UK Trade & Investment is the Government organisation that supports companies in the UK doing business internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to locate in the UK.
There [...]
Cross London Rail Links
Jul 27, 2005 Book Updates, Transport
A debate in Parliament on 28 June 2005 has shed some light on the public accountability (or lack thereof) of Cross London Rail Links Ltd (CLRLL). Crossrail is not wholly owned by any one public authority, and as such is not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
However, Derek Twigg (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for [...]
Quoted in The Observer
Jul 25, 2005 FOI in the news
Free to find out all you want?
The Observer, Sunday July 24, 2005
Jon Robins on how the Freedom of Information Act can be used to find out everything from MRSA levels in your hospital to planned air traffic over your home
Heather Brooke, a former crime reporter in the US and now a freedom of information expert [...]
Free PFI database
Jul 20, 2005 Companies, Useful sites
How much money is your local authority spending on Private Finance Initiative projects? A new database created by Partnerships UK is one of the best resources for PFI facts and figures. It brings together data on all 633 PFI and public-private partnership contracts signed in the UK.
The database is free to use and is [...]
Less accountability for special advisers
Jul 20, 2005 Book Updates, Central Government
The Prime Minister has surreptitiously changed the law governing Special Advisors giving them greater power to instruct civil servants.
The legislation – the Civil Service Order in Council – was amended on the 22nd June by the Privy Council but no statement to Parliament or public announcement has yet been made by the [...]
FOI in parliament: 4-11 July 2005
Jul 12, 2005 FOI in Parliament
Written Answers – Trade and Industry: Export Control and Non-Proliferation Directorate (11 Jul 2005)
James Arbuthnot (North East Hampshire, Con) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the Report by ASE Consulting into privatising the Export Control and Non-Proliferation Directorate; and if [...]
FOI used as delaying tactic
Jul 11, 2005 Access Laws, FOI in Parliament
A disturbing trend has emerged whereby government officials are using the Freedom of Information Act’s 20-working day time limit to delay answering questions. For example, MPs’ written questions are expected to be answered within seven days of the question being tabled. But some ministers, including the Prime Minister below, are citing the FOIA and [...]
Secrecy doesn’t stop terrorism
Jul 8, 2005 Law Enforcement
There was only one thing harder to find than a way home from central London yesterday and that was any kind of official information about what had happened. In the initial confusion after the explosions Thursday morning, keeping mum was understandable. Authorities don’t want to spread rumour. But by late afternoon, members of the public [...]
Guardian publishes censored policy report
Jul 5, 2005 FOI in the news, Law Enforcement
The Guardian newspaper today published the full contents of a government report on drug policy. Only the first half of the report was released last Friday in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The other half of the strategy unit study led by the former director general of the BBC, Lord Birt, was [...]
