The Freedom of Information Act can be very useful but it is nowhere near as comprehensive as it should be. I am currently trying to close one of the worst loopholes which means that a company wholly owned by one local authority is subject to the act but a company owned by two local authorities is not. I have persuaded my MP to submit an Early Day Motion on this:
“That this House notes that section 6 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with certain exceptions makes companies wholly owned by the Crown or by a single public authority subject to the Act; further notes that a company wholly owned by two or more public authorities or 95 per cent. owned by a single public authority will be outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and calls for the closure of this loophole and for companies owned 90 per cent. or more by any number of public authorities to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000.” http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=40168&SESSION=903 Please follow the above link and if your MP has not signed please write to them [http://www.writetothem.com/] and try to persuade them. There is a good example letter here: http://www.rtaylor.co.uk/uk-freedom-of-information-act-to-be-extended.html#comment-26735 Just think of the data sets that could be obtained companies like these are made subject to FOI: * Connexions Nottinghamshire Limited – provides support services to young people and is jointly owned by Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. * Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) – this company is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education. * Manchester Airport PLC – the Manchester Airport Group is owned by the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester * The Russell Group – is owned by, and represents 20 of the UK’s largest universities, the company aims “to influence and make representations to stakeholders and legislators” There is more information here: http://www.mysociety.org/2010/01/20/foia-loophole/ . Please do write to your MP. thank you John -- John Cross _______________________________________________ okfn-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/okfn-discuss
