Freedom of Information
Introduction
From January 2005, new information access rights under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) come fully into force.
The FOIA gives you the general right of access to all the policy and administrative information we hold and the EIRs give the right of access to environmental information.
From the 1st January 2005 you have:
- A right to know if the Department holds the information requested; and
- A right of access to that information, subject to certain exemptions.
As part of our commitment to Freedom of Information, we have a Publication Scheme in place. This scheme tells you about the classes of information we publish. It also tells you where you can obtain this information and if there is any charge.
You can complain to the Department if you are dissatisfied with the response to your request for information under the FOIA or the EIRs, including how your request was handled. The Department's target time for determining such complaints is 20 working days. (In the period 1 January to 31 March 2005, the Department dealt with 75% of complaints within 20 working days).
The FOIA and EIRs also apply to the public authotities set out below for which the Department is the sponsoring body. Requests under FOIA or EIRs from these authorities should be directly made to them. The links below provide further information on how FOIA oe EIR requests can be made.
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