This book seeks to provide a clear and detailed explanation of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997. It begins with a discussion of the development of freedom of information laws internationally, both at domestic and international levels. The history of the Act in Ireland is then explored. Many of the Act's provisions are based on those of corresponding Australian and Canadian legislation. The book, therefore, draws extensively from the interpretation of such provisions in those jurisdictions. The relationship of the Act with existing Irish legislation relating to access to government information is also explained. The main focus of the book is upon the substance of the Act itself. It concentrates on the four main elements of the Act: * The right of access to government records * The duty of public bodies to publish information relating to their activities * The right to have incorrect personal records amended * The right to be given reasons for administrative decisions.

Traces Ireland's introduction of FOI legislation and considers its use and operation from a series of perspectives, looking at the Irish experience in a truly international context

Gives you a comprehensive explanation and analysis of the Freedom of Information Act. This book examines the background to the development of freedom of information legislation both in Ireland and internationally, and explores its interaction with other legislation relating to access to government information.

Traces Ireland’s introduction of FOI legislation and considers its use and operation from a series of perspectives, looking at the Irish experience in a truly international context

Why do governments pass freedom of information laws? The symbolic power and force surrounding FOI makes it appealing as an electoral promise but hard to disengage from once in power. However, behind closed doors compromises and manoeuvres ensure that bold policies are seriously weakened before they reach the statute book. The politics of freedom of information examines how Tony Blair's government proposed a radical FOI law only to back down in fear of what it would do. But FOI survived, in part due to the government's reluctance to be seen to reject a law that spoke of 'freedom', 'information' and 'rights'. After comparing the British experience with the difficult development of FOI in Australia, India and the United States – and the rather different cases of Ireland and New Zealand – the book concludes by looking at how the disruptive, dynamic and democratic effects of FOI laws continue to cause controversy once in operation.

Today, transparency is a widely heralded value, and the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is often held up as one of the transparency movement’s canonical achievements. Yet while many view the law as a powerful tool for journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens to pursue the public good, FOIA is beset by massive backlogs, and corporations and the powerful have become adept at using it for their own interests. Close observers of laws like FOIA have begun to question whether these laws interfere with good governance, display a deleterious anti-public-sector bias, or are otherwise inadequate for the twenty-first century’s challenges. Troubling Transparency brings together leading scholars from different disciplines to analyze freedom of information policies in the United States and abroad—how they are working, how they are failing, and how they might be improved. Contributors investigate the creation of FOIA; its day-to-day uses and limitations for the news media and for corporate and citizen requesters; its impact on government agencies; its global influence; recent alternatives to the FOIA model raised by the emergence of “open data” and other approaches to transparency; and the theoretical underpinnings of FOIA and the right to know. In addition to examining the mixed legacy and effectiveness of FOIA, contributors debate how best to move forward to improve access to information and government functioning. Neither romanticizing FOIA nor downplaying its real and symbolic achievements, Troubling Transparency is a timely and comprehensive consideration of laws such as FOIA and the larger project of open government, with wide-ranging lessons for journalism, law, government, and civil society.

Takes its title very seriously. It is a practical guide to the implementation of Freedom of Information Act 2000. Its combination of descriptions, checklists, models and practical examples will enable all those involved in the discharge of this important enactment to do so without fear or worry. Written by an expert at the National Archives, it avoids describing freedom of information in legal terms and instead focuses on implementation of the Freedom of Information Act from a user's point of view; pointing the reader to those parts of the Act which will affect implementation procedures. Time is running out in the countdown to full implementation of the Act by January 2005 so this practical guide provides the reader with all of the necessary information to make sure they are compliant in the most efficient manner possible covering both preparing for implementation (staffing infrastructure, action planning, records management and training) and actual implementation (use of IT, logging systems and handling requests). The book also includes an examination of how FOI links with other legislation such as Data Protection and Human Rights. Full of checklists and toolkits, the book also comes with free downloadable training materials. Key areas covered include: background to the act; the legislation; exemptions; publication schemes; enforcement and appeal; records management; data protection, human rights and other legislation; staffing and training; getting ready for Freedom of Information. (EDITOR).

Enacted in 2000 and in operation in the UK since 2005, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act has revealed information which has generated calls for constitutional reform. A massive 'information jurisprudence' has developed through the decisions of the Information Commissioner, the Information Tribunal and the courts. Governments' responses to the war on terror have involved increased resort to claims of national security and accompanying secrecy, but these developments have to exist alongside demands for FOI and transparency. FOI has to balance access to and protection of personal information, and major amendments have been made to the Data Protection Act in order to balance the competing demands of transparency and privacy. This detailed discussion of FOI laws and personal data laws examines the historical development of secrecy, national security and government, and their modern context.