PL&B FOI E-news, Issue 22
1. Consultation on FOI fees now launched
The Department of Constitutional Affairs has launched a public consultation on the proposed new format for calculating FOI fees. The Government suggests that public authorities could, in the future, include reading time, consideration time and consultation time in the calculation of the appropriate limit (£600 for government departments and £450 for other public bodies). This could result in many more requests to be refused on cost grounds than is currently the case.
Read more about this topic in the December issue of the PL&B UK Newsletter.
The consultation runs from 14th December to 8th March 2007.
2. Tribunal dismisses Derry City Council appeal
The Information Tribunal has upheld the ICO’s decision to order Derry City Council to disclose information on Ryanair’s use of the Derry City Airport, Northern Ireland, and how much the airline pays to use the airport facilities. The airport had refused to release the information on the basis of prejudice to the economic interests of the region, commercial interests of the airport and Ryanair, and the fact that the information had been provided in confidence.
A full report on this case, and the scope of the confidentiality exemption will be published in the February issue of the PL&B UK Newsletter.
For further details on the Privacy Laws & Business UK Newsletter, please click here.
Copyright Privacy Laws & Business 2006