Access to information
Several pieces of legislation give you the right to access the information that we hold. These are:
- The Freedom of Information Act 2000
- The Environmental Information Regulations 2004
- The Data Protection Act 1998
The right to request non-personal information held by public authorities came into force in January 2005, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR).
The FOIA makes information available to the public to increase accountability and transparency in the decisions made and about the services provided. It also sets out exemptions to that right and places a number of obligations on public authorities.
Anyone who makes a request to a public authority for information must be told if that authority holds that information and, subject to exemptions, must be supplied with that information.
We already publish a variety of information through our Publication Scheme, and the information you seek may be included in this. If not, then you can make a specific request.
The EIR comes under the umbrella of the FOIA, but it deals with requests for specific types of information relating to the environment.
The Data Protection Act (DPA) deals with personal information. It sets out rules governing how information about individuals must be handled, and applies to personal information held on computers and some manual records. We have a duty to make sure that all personal information is handled responsibly and in a fair and legal manner.
We use personal information in a number of different ways to carry out our duties, but we follow internal policies and procedures and a range of guidance to make sure that we comply with the law.
- View our Publication Scheme.
- Find out how to request information from us under the Freedom of Information Act and/or Environmental Information Regulations.
- Find out how to request your own personal information from us under the Data Protection Act.
If you are unable to find what you’re looking for or you need advice, please contact our Corporate Administration department by email or by telephone on 0115 967 0880.
