£12 million to restrict FOI law
Feb 27, 2007 Access Laws, Freedom of Information
In an article in Hold the Front Page, the charity Public Concern at Work lambastes the Government’s plans to change the freedom of information law as “financially flawed and politically incoherent”.
Using the Government’s own figures, they calculate that it will cost more than £12m to introduce the restrictions. The charity used the Government’s estimate that [...]
Ordnance Survey vs the KGB: A fight worth watching
Feb 23, 2007 Access Laws, Freedom of Information
Following on from yesterday’s post, I came across this interesting article in the Register describing the first-ever sale of detailed digital maps of the UK created by Russia’s KGB between 1950 and 1990.
What’s interesting is that the KGB maps are more detailed than the OS maps because they are not censored. The KGB came up [...]
The usual BS from OS
Feb 22, 2007 Access Laws, Freedom of Information
Most people would except that if they hand over money, they will get something in return. That’s not the case when it comes to the British taxpayer and the data his or her taxes have paid to create. In that case, you get nothing for your money. Even worse, you have to pay twice, three [...]
MPs’ travel expense by type revealed
Feb 14, 2007 Access Laws, Central Government, Freedom of Information
“I want to make sure that FoI remains in the British bloodstream and is not some kind of Prague Spring.” – Norman Baker MP
Norman Baker MP won his two-year freedom of information battle for the release of MPs’ travel expenses by mode of transport. The House of Commons was forced to reveal the figures after [...]
How to waste money and alienate the people
Feb 9, 2007 Access Laws, Freedom of Information
Does anyone actually believe the government’s stated reason for curtailing the public’s right to know?
What wastes time and money is vague, ambiguous and unenforced legislation (like so many NuLabour laws). That is the problem with the current Freedom of Information Act. And rather than make the law more concise, precise and enforced, this government [...]
New Cabinet Office Details
Feb 7, 2007 Book Updates, Freedom of Information
The Cabinet Office has shut down its previous email address for receiving FOI queries with no forwarding address according to Spyblog. The new email address is: foiteam@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
The mailing address remains:
FOI Team
Cabinet Office
Room 118
70 Whitehall
London SW1A 2AS
This recent curtailment of a generic email inbox (Identity & Passport Agency has done the same thing) shows the [...]
Article: Freedom – only if we can get the information
Feb 7, 2007 Access Laws, Articles, Freedom of Information
Freedom – only if we can get the information
The Times, Law, February 06, 2007
By Heather Brooke
Two years on and the Freedom of Information Act has been enough of a success to warrant its possible demise.
While it was always naive to think that politicians would welcome open government, recent proposals have surprised even sceptics. Maurice Frankel, [...]
