‘A three-year battle by the Foreign Office (FCO) to keep secret how diplomatic issues colour its human rights decisions reached its climax on Thursday, in a court case that was itself largely held in secret at the insistence of the security services.’
The Guardian, 7th April 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Duchy of Cornwall was established by Edward III in 1337 for his son. There is a landed estate (the Duchy) and a title (the Duke). Edward III was no doubt unconcerned about any legal duties that may attach to the Duchy; he had bigger fish to fry. In the 21st century, however, at least one knotty question of legal duty has surfaced.’
Panopticon, 5th April 2016
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
‘PowerPoint slides prepared by external counsel for training at the Ministry of Justice were subject to legal professional privilege and did not have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, the First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) has ruled.’
Legal Futures, 7th April 2016
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘The Prince of Wales’s private estate has won an appeal against a ruling that would have forced it to open up its dealings to greater public scrutiny.’
BBC News, 4th April 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Children as young as 10 were among hundreds of youngsters arrested for suspected gun crimes in the last three years, new data has revealed.’
BBC News, 29th March 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Can the name of a local councillor who has defaulted on Council tax properly be withheld from disclosure under the exemption for personal data in s.40 FOIA? That was the issue for the Upper Tribunal (“UT”) in Haslam v (1) Information Commissioner (2) Bolton Council [2016] UKUT 0139 (AAC), 10 March 2016. Mr Haslam, a journalist on the Bolton News, had submitted a FOIA request to Bolton Council for disclosure of names of councillors who had received reminders for non-payment of Council tax since May 2011. The Council refused to name names, citing the exemption in s.40 FOIA. The Information Commissioner and First-Tier Tribunal (“FTT”) upheld the Council’s decision. The UT (Judge Markus QC) has now reversed the FTT’s decision, and held that the name of the individual councillor concerned should be released.’
Panopticon, 18th March 2016
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
‘A government announcement that there will be “no legal changes” to the Freedom of Information legislation following a review of the act was being cautiously welcomed by campaigners on Monday.
The Guardian, 1st March 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP spoke at University College London’s Law Faculty on his role as a guardian of the public interest.’
Attorney General’s Office, 8th February 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/ago
‘Politicians are sometimes better placed than judges to decide what is in the public interest in disputes over freedom of information, the government’s most senior lawyer has said.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 9th February 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Politicians are frequently better placed than judges to decide what constitutes the public interest in releasing information about foreign relations, national security and other areas, according to the attorney general.’
The Guardian, 8th February 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Companies who operate everything from prisons to parking services and prosecuting TV licence evaders must be made more accountable, campaigners say.’
The Independent, 25th January 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Advice given to ministers by civil servants should not be excluded from freedom of information legislation, according to the official responsible for overseeing the workings of the act.’
The Guardian, 20th January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Public bodies will find it harder to justify decisions to withhold information requested under freedom of information (FOI) laws on the basis that they intend to publish the material in future where no date has been set for that publication, according to newly issued guidance.’
OUT-LAW.com, 11th January 2016
Source: out-law.com
‘Revelation comes as armed forces’ rules are being updated and also to disqualify those who suffer from “sleep terrors.”’
The Guardian, 18th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The UK government’s reasons for curbing freedom of information laws have been challenged by Lord Kerslake, the former head of the civil service.’
The Guardian, 15th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Exempting advice given to ministers from freedom of information requests risks returning the UK to the “dark ages” of “private government”, the information commissioner has warned. Christopher Graham told a review into the legislation that changes to FoI being considered by a government commission could lead to a blanket ban on all advice being made available to the public.’
The Guardian, 7th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘The First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) (the Tribunal) has held that a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 made via Twitter is not valid.’
RPC Data Law and Privacy, 27th November 2015
Source: www.rpc.co.uk
‘Perhaps you want to know which universities make the most in library fines, or are curious about what the gender pay gap is like at the top. Or maybe you suspect your university staff are spending too much on first-class rail tickets or the dean’s office furnishings. These are just some of the ways that students are using freedom of information (FOI) requests to find out eye-opening facts about their universities’ activities.’
The Guardian, 24th November 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
‘Is a request for information made in a tweet a valid request within the meaning of sections 1 and 8 FOIA? Not in Ghafoor v Information Commissioner (EA/2015/0140). The FTT held that section 8(1) requires the request for information to be made using the “real name” of the person making it, and that the provision of an address for correspondence must one which is “suitable for correspondence” between the requestor and the public authority about the request.’
Panopticon, 17th November 2015
Source: www.panopticonblog.com
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