At the end of January 2012, the Information Commissioner published the new guide to freedom of information described as a “plain English guide”, which intends to help public authorities better understand what the Act says and how to apply it. The new guide is published following the commencement of the post-legislative review of the Freedom of Information Act (see our last InfoLaw Update) which is set to consider how Freedom of Information legislation should develop in this country.
The Information Commissioner has acknowledged, in his comments about the new Guide, that interpreting and applying the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act properly can be challenging. His aim in putting together this new plain English guide is to “demystify” the Freedom of Information Act and make the legislation “more user friendly and intelligible”. He is hoping that the Guide will be used by FOI officers as, to some extent, a reference resource when they are considering how to respond to the requests they receive.
