What is our Publication Scheme?
As part of a requirement of the Act the Council has created a publication scheme that states:
What information can and cannot be seen.
The classes of information that the Council publishes or intends to publish.
Whether we make a charge for the information
How the information will be made available.
To minimise the impact of the Act, the more information that we proactively make available through our scheme, on the website or via any other means then the more will fall under the exemption "Information accessible by other means". This will reduce the number of individual requests from applicants that we have to respond to.
The website is a good method of publishing information as it means we can direct people automatically without having to go through the potentially time consuming process of locating and preparing information for release to an applicant.
What are the recording requirements?
All requests for information that fall under the FOIA must be recorded, including outcomes and the use of exemptions. The Council will have to make returns to the Department of Constitutional Affairs about requests that it has received and how it has handled them. It is quite likely that this information will become part of the performance indicator framework that exists in other areas of service delivery. In addition it is essential that the Council has a robust audit trail in the event of challenge by either an applicant or the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The Council has established a system to record requests, which may change in the future dependent on the development of information technology, record keeping systems and Customer Relation Management systems (CRM). You should check with your Team Information Manager or Unit FOI Representative and/or the Council’s FOI Officer if you are not sure about the recording requirements.
Conclusion
The FOIA is not piece of legislation designed to hinder the Council in its operations but a method of increasing accessibility and creating a more open culture. There are many advantages to getting it right (see elsewhere in this document). In all probability, the Council already receives requests for information and the FOIA will be a method of managing the information and document storage and retrieval processes more smoothly.
Where can I find out more?
From:
The Council’s intranet and website
Your Team Information Manager or Unit FOI Representative
The Council’s FOI Officer
And these websites may also be helpful:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
www.foi.gov.uk
YOU SHOULD ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE READ THE COUNCIL’S ‘ACCESS TO INFORMATION POLICY’ AND ‘ACCESS PROCEDURES’ - THESE ARE AVAILABLE ON THE COUNCIL’S INTRANET AND WEBSITE.
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