‘The government has lost a legal battle to prevent the release of documents about an “Orwellian” unit that is accused of obstructing the release of material requested by the public under the Freedom of Information Act.’
The Guardian, 8th June 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘HM Courts and Tribunals Service have recently published statistics about the number of hearings conducted remotely, ie by audio, video or on paper, compared with physical in-person hearings, over the course of the coronavirus lockdown. The statistics cover civil and criminal cases as well as family law cases, but it is possible to extract from them a picture of how the family justice system, in particular, has responded.’
Transparency Project, 4th June 2021
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘A recent decision by the High Court of England and Wales highlights the breadth of its jurisdiction to grant access to documents that have been referred to in a public hearing, according to experts at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.’
OUT-LAW.com, 25th May 2021
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘A legal bid has been launched to stop Boris Johnson and his ministers from deleting WhatsApp messages and other communications that would shed light on how they took decisions during the pandemic.’
The Independent, 23rd May 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The number of women being detained under Section 2 rose by more than 25% in some areas of England, according to exclusive new FOI data.’
Each Other, 17th March 2021
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘Grooming gangs come from “diverse backgrounds”, a Home Office review has concluded. The research, originally promised by Sajid Javid in 2018, was published on Tuesday following a government U-turn. The Home Office previously said releasing the paper would not be in the “public interest”, in response to a Freedom of Information request by The Independent, but committed to making it public after a petition signed by more than 130,000 people.’
Full report
The Independent, 15th December 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The rights of those living abroad to submit freedom of information requests are to be tested in court after more than a dozen cases – including one relating to Julian Assange’s extradition – were blocked. A combined hearing involving the Home Office, Metropolitan police, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and 13 separate cases is to be held at an information tribunal in London.’
The Guardian, 6th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Treasury is refusing to publish key documents about the treatment of haemophiliacs infected by the NHS with HIV on the grounds that it would be “disruptive” and material might be “distorted” by the media.’
The Guardian, 21st September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘When the First-tier Tribunal decides an information rights appeal and finds in favour of the requestor, who has the responsibility for enforcing any non-compliance with that judgment? Is it the FTT, or is the Information Commissioner? In an interesting judgment of Judge Jacobs in Moss v Information Commissioner & Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames [2020] UKUT 174 (AAC), the Upper Tribunal has held that it is the FTT.’
Panopticon, 2nd July 2020
Source: panopticonblog.com
‘The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will stand down audit work, issue fewer fines and generally use fewer formal powers against organisations that are struggling to meet data protection standards as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.’
Local Government Lawyer, 22nd May 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The government faces being taken to court if it refuses to disclose the findings of an exercise confirming the UK could not cope with a flu pandemic.’
The Guardian, 26th April 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘An Upper Tribunal judge has set aside a decision by a First-tier Tribunal (FTT) that upheld – after a freedom of information request – the withholding of an agent’s advice to a local authority on the tactics it should apply in negotiations with Tesco over a proposed development.’
Local Government Lawyer, 20th April 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a statement setting out its regulatory approach during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it will focus on those areas likely to cause the greatest public harm.’
Local Government Lawyer, 16th April 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The First-Tier Tribunal General Regulatory Chamber (Information Rights) has – with immediate effect – stayed for a period of 28 days all proceedings under section 48 of the Data Protection Act 1998, section 162 of the Data Protection Act 2018 and section 57 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.’
Local Government Lawyer, 3rd April 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Anyone who has had a FOIA case in the national security space will have faced the near-impossible task of trying to work out what on earth Corderoy & Ahmed v Information Commissioner & Attorney General & Cabinet Office [2017] UKUT 495 (AAC) means; a front-runner for most impenetrable Upper Tribunal decision on FOIA. Now Judge Markus QC has had a go at squaring the circle in Lownie v Information Commissioner & Foreign and Commonwealth Office & The National Archives [2020] UKUT 32 (AAC).’
Panopticon, 19th March 2020
Source: panopticonblog.com
‘Indecent images of children could not be used as evidence because they were in a police commissioner’s safe.’
BBC News, 12th March 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In this latest Environmental Law News Update, Christopher Badger considers a successful appeal for the disclosure of privileged instructions to Counsel under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the adoption of legislative reforms on sustainable finance and investments by the European Council and Greenpeace claims that the UK will miss environmental targets for 2020 and beyond.’
Six Pump Court, 19th November 2019
Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk
‘Hundreds of police officers and staff have illicitly accessed police databases for their own ends including checking the criminal records of partners. Freedom of Information requests show 237 officers and staff have been disciplined for accessing the highly-sensitive police national computer or other IT systems in the past two years.’
Daily Telegraph, 7th November 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The First-tier Tribunal has ordered Ryedale District Council to disclose the briefing question it sent to a Queen’s Counsel seeking advice on a motion in which councillors sought for competing retail planning applications to be ‘called in’.’
Local Government Lawyer, 1st November 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘A local resident who complained about the conduct of a councillor at Stratford-on-Avon District Council over a planning matter has secured a fresh hearing over the council’s refusal to disclose advice given by an independent person.’
Local Government Lawyer, 31st October 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2021