I know what the common sense answer to this question should be, but with
FoI common sense may not prevail.
Clearly a lot of subscribers to discussion lists such as this one are
working for public authorities that are affected by the Freedom of
Information Act
My understanding is that an e-mail sent via a discussion list which asks
for information and is received by an individual on their work e-mail
address is technically an FoI request received by that public body. Clearly
the sender of the e-mail doesn't know everyone to whom the e-mail has been
sent, though by looking at the archive of the discussion list they will
have an idea of some of the subscribers. Therefore from January 2005 should
those of us who subscribe to discussion lists and work for public bodies
affected by FoI have to respond to all requests for information within 20
working days rather than picking and choosing which ones to which we wish
to reply. Is this the end of e-mail discussion lists for some of us??
Richard Childs
County Archivist
West Sussex Record Office
County Hall
Chichester
West Sussex PO19 1RN
Information in this e-mail, and any attachments transmitted with it, is
confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the
person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient you
should not read it, copy it, disclose its contents to any other person or
make use of any of the information contained in it for any purpose. If you
are not the intended recipient please notify the sender by e-mail and
delete the message from your system immediately. West Sussex County
Council cannot guarantee that the e-mail, or any attachments transmitted
with it, are free from computer virus and the County Council accepts no
liability if one is actually present and you are advised to ensure that the
appropriate checks are made.
|