Here's some of the highlights from the past 10 years since the FOI Act was fully implemented...
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is fully implemented on 1 January 2005. The Act is intended to improve the public’s understanding of how public authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do, and how they spend their money. By placing more information in the public domain it is hoped the FOI Act will ensure greater transparency and trust, and widen participation in policy debate. Over 90 countries around the world now have some form of freedom of information legislation.
ICO issues its first decision notice against Westminster City Council. The complainant requested information relating to the maintenance of pavements by the council. The council advised him that the information requested was not covered by the FOI Act. The ICO's notice requires the council to deal with the request and, if it is considered that the request is exempt, to issue a refusal notice.
The individual mortality rates for all heart surgeons working in the NHS are released for the first time following a series of FOI requests made by the Guardian newspaper. The information highlights the varying performance levels across UK hospitals and allows people to see how surgeons are performing across different parts of the country. The requests also show that some hospitals are failing to adequately collect the information.
Labour wins a third consecutive term with Tony Blair as Prime Minister.
Labour MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown succeeds Tony Blair to become Prime Minister.
The website WhatDoTheyKnow.com launches and provides the public with a simple way to make an FOI request online. The website continues to provide an online searchable archive to read about FOI requests that have been made, or that are in the processes of being answered. The site continues to be funded by the charity MySociety and, over six years after it was first launched, now has over 30,000 registered users. Around 15% to 20% of all requests to central government are currently made through the website.
Government announces £37 billion bail out package for three of the biggest banks in the UK - Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HBOS - to protect people's savings. The move comes after emergency financial support was granted by the Bank of England to Northern Rock the previous month. Britain enters one of the biggest recessions for a generation.
A ceremony is held in Basra to mark the official end of the six-year British military mission in Iraq.
One of the most significant stories from the first 10 years of FOI began in 2005 when a number of journalists made FOI requests to the House of Commons asking for the details of individual MPs' expense claims. The Commons initially refused to disclose the information. A complaint was brought to the ICO and the Information Commissioner ordered partial disclosure after which the Tribunal ordered full disclosure. The House of Commons’ then appealed to the High Court but was unsuccessful. In 2009, the information is leaked to the press while it's being collated to include in a redacted response to the journalists’ latest FOI requests. The leaked documents reveal a number of extravagant claims made by some MPs, including several claims for the costs of furnishing second homes that were only a short distance from the MP's family home and an infamous expenses claim from one MP to cover the costs of refurbishing their duck house. The information and subsequent criticism from the media and society at large leads to a formal investigation and an inquiry which results in several MPs being prosecuted and even imprisoned. A number of other MPs retire or step down from office due to the criticism levelled at them following their expense claims.
Tory leader David Cameron becomes PM and forms a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg who is appointed Deputy PM. The agreement marks the UK's first coalition government in 70 years.
The ICO begins monitoring public authorities that are failing to respond to a significant number of FOI requests within the statutory timelimit of 20 working days. The ICO continues to monitor public authorities that are failing to respond to FOI requests in a timely manner each quarter. The ICO's monitoring exercises have resulted in significant improvements in the performance of many public authorities that were failing to respond to requests on time. Authorities that have previously been monitored include the Cabinet Office, the BBC and the Welsh Assembly Government.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, marries Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey
The Information Commissioner rules that the salaries of 24 public sector workers earning over £150,000 should be released following an FOI request to the Cabinet Office. The Commissioner explains that the public interest favours disclosure due to the high level of public debate surrounding the austerity measures that the public sector is facing.
The memoirs of the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, are released in which he refers to his decision to introduce the FOI Act in less than glowing terms. "Freedom of Information Act. Three harmless words. I look at those words as I write them, and feel like shaking my head 'til it drops off. You idiot. You naive, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop. There is really no description of stupidity, no matter how vivid, that is adequate. I quake at the imbecility of it." The quote highlights how the FOI Act has held public bodies and officials to account throughout the last decade, but also the scepticism that continues to remain about the Act’s importance.
The Queen celebrates 60 years on the throne with a range of events held throughout the year. The central weekend takes place between 2 - 5 June 2012 with a BBC Concert taking place at Buckingham Palace on the Sunday night.
The government vetoes the disclosure of a risk register highlighting potential risks linked to government changes to the NHS by the then Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley MP. The information had previously been the subject of an FOI request to the Department of Health which was turned down before being brought to the ICO. The Information Commissioner rules that there's a clear public interest in the information being disclosed. Announcing the veto a Department of Health spokesperson said “The decision to veto is not just about the specific content of these registers but also about preserving risk registers as frank internal working tools, in the interests of good government.” The Information Commissioner responds to the veto decision by saying that the veto should only be reserved for cases that are truly ‘exceptional’ and questions whether this was the case on this occasion.
The Justice Select Committee publishes its post legislative scrutiny report looking at the FOI Act on 26 July 2012. The report concludes that the FOI Act is generally working well and its scope should not be diminished. However, some concerns are raised about the impact the Act is having on the safe space that government needs to formulate policy. Announcing the publication of the report Sir Alan Beith MP, Chairman of the Justice Committee, said: "The FOI Act has enhanced the UK’s democratic system and made our public bodies more open, accountable and transparent. It has been a success and we do not wish to diminish its intended scope, or its effectiveness. "The Act was never intended to prevent, limit, or stop the recording of policy discussions in Cabinet or at the highest levels of Government, and we believe that its existing provisions, properly used, are sufficient to maintain the ‘safe space’ for such discussions. These provisions need to be more widely understood within the public service. They include, where appropriate, the use of the ministerial veto."
London becomes the first city to hold the modern Olympic Games for the third time. The opening ceremony incorporates James Bond, the Queen and the Industrial Revolution. The games are hailed as a success with the USA topping the medal table with 46 gold medals. Great Britain and Northern Ireland finish third with 29 golds.
The ICO issues its 5000th decision notice ruling on an FOI complaint. There are five decision notices served on the day against Greater London Authority, Essex County Council, Department of Justice Northern Ireland, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland and the Supreme Court.
A change to the FOI Act is introduced that gives individuals new rights to request data in a form that is re-usable. It also gives people the opportunity to re-use this information commercially. Public authorities are required to publish any requested datasets as part of their publication scheme.
Three Court of Appeal judges rule that the Attorney General is wrong to veto the disclosure of letters sent by Prince Charles to various government departments in 2004 and 2005. The Attorney General, then Dominic Grieve, had issued the veto believing that the letters would undermine the principle of the heir being neutral. Earlier this week, seven justices at the Supreme Court heard a challenge by current Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC against the Court of Appeal ruling. A verdict is expected in the coming weeks.
A referendum is held to decide if Scotland should remain in the UK. The results show that 55% of the Scottish voters still want Scotland to remain part of the UK.
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