Open-and-shut cases
13 September 2012
The Freedom of Information Act will change how suppliers and purchasers interact. Janet Lewis clarifies the likely effects and exemptions for authorities
For the first time in the UK, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 gives the public extensive rights of access to information held by public authorities.
The act embodies the new “right to know” culture and, as demonstrated by John Major’s concerns over release of the Black Wednesday government papers – when his government was forced out of the European...