1. Purpose
This policy supports the legislative framework for responding to requests for information under the statutory access regimes established by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Data Protection Act (DPA), the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and other legislation that provides a right of access.
2. Aims
The aims of the policy are:-
To provide a framework that ensures that the Council complies with the requirements of the various statutory access regimes;
To promote transparency of decision making by the Council;
To improve and enhance the democratic process;
To build public trust and confidence.
These aims will be balanced by:-
The requirement to maintain high standards of care in ensuring the privacy of personal and commercially confidential information;
The requirement to preserve confidentiality where disclosure would not be in the public interest, or would breach personal privacy or the confidences of a third party;
The requirement to prohibit the disclosure of information as may be necessary by law.
3. Scope
The policy sets out the general principles that will be adopted by the Council in response to any requests for information under any statutory access regimes, with particular reference to:-
responses to requests for information;
the provision of advice and assistance;
the application of exemptions;
consultation with third parties;
refusal or part refusal of requests;
complaints about responses to requests for information;
recording & monitoring requests for information.
The policy addresses the requirements of the DPA and the FOIA in detail. As the requirements of the EIR are broadly similar to those under the FOIA, this policy does not refer specifically to EIR requests. The procedures for dealing with such requests are set out in the supporting procedure documents.
This policy also makes reference to other, existing statutory access regimes in order to provide clarity about when the DPA and FOIA should be applied to requests for information.
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