The Freedom of Information Act 1997, as amended by the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act 2003, obliges certain entities to publish information on their structure and organisation and on the rules, practices, guidelines and interpretations used by them.
Freedom of Information derives from the following broad principles:
- Decisions by public bodies should be more open to public scrutiny, thus providing greater appreciation of the issues involved in policy decisions and stronger public ownership and acceptance of decisions made;
- Those affected by decisions of public bodies should have the right to know the criteria used in making those decisions;
- Citizens, as shareholders in public bodies, should have the right to examine and review the deliberations and processes of public bodies;
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Acts, effective from 21st April 1998, establish three new statutory rights:
- A legal right for each person to access information held by public bodies;
- A legal right for each person to have official information relating to him/herself amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading; and
- A legal right to obtain reasons for decisions affecting oneself.
The Acts assert the right of members of the public to obtain access to official information to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy of individuals.
In addition, the Act provides for the establishment of an independent Office of Information Commissioner to review most decisions made by public bodies under the Act.