nra, recman and scotarch-gla fyi.
apology for the trilogy.
Iain

Re-use of public sector information Regulations soon in force
The Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 have been published and will come into force 18th July. The Regulations update the previous 2005 Regulations, and bring Directive 2013/37/EU (the 'PSI Directive') into law. The government has produced an Impact Assessment setting out the costs and benefits of implementing the Regulations. The National Archives has produced draft guidance for public authorities. An article on the changes will be published in an upcoming edition of Freedom of Information.


 
| Iain E.F. Flett | [log in to unmask] 

 

 
Subject: Re-use of public sector information Regulations in force 18 July
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Issue:  01/07/2015

News
Re-use of public sector information Regulations soon in force
The Reuse of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 have been published and will come into force 18th July. The Regulations update the previous 2005 Regulations, and bring Directive 2013/37/EU (the 'PSI Directive') into law. The government has produced an Impact Assessment setting out the costs and benefits of implementing the Regulations. The National Archives has produced draft guidance for public authorities. An article on the changes will be published in an upcoming edition of Freedom of Information.
Government to revisit FOI law
The Justice Secretary Michael Gove has indicated that the government will change FOI law to make it easier for ministers and civil servants to have secret discussions without the threat of transparency. "I think it is absolutely vital that we ensure that the advice civil servants give to ministers of whatever government is protected, so civil servants can speak candidly and offer advice in order to ensure ministers do not make mistakes," he told MPs in the House of Commons. He later added: "I think we do need to revisit the Freedom of Information Act, absolutely." The Campaign for Freedom of Information has expressed concern at the move.
Government departments routinely deleting emails
Whitehall departments have been routinely deleting emails for more than a decade, it has emerged. According to the Telegraph, at least three departments have been automatically deleting emails that are not actively saved by officials. The Department of Energy and Climate Change introduced an 'auto-deletion' system in 2010, under which messages are destroyed after a year. The Department for International Development and Cabinet Office have similar policies in place. According to one source, the automated deletion system was set up just weeks ahead of the Freedom of Information Act coming into effect. A government official said that the timing was purely coincidence.
NAMA loses five year battle to keep its activities private
The Supreme Court has unanimously rejected arguments by the National Asset Management Agency that it is not a public authority subject to FOI or environmental information requests. Applying the reasoning in the Fish Legal case (involving water companies in the UK), the Court said that it was clear that NAMA was a public authority exercising public administrative functions. NAMA has said that it is studying the decision. The effect of the ruling is that members of the public and media are now entitled to make FOI and EIRs requests to the body.


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PDP Training

Professional and practical Training Courses enable delegates to understand the legal requirements in key areas of compliance. The following is a selection of some of PDP's current courses.

FOI Practical Training - Level 1 (Essential Knowledge)
Estelle Dehon, Cornerstone Barristers
Estelle Dehon
Cornerstone Barristers
Since the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came fully into force in 2005 we have experienced a fundamental change in the relationship between UK government and its citizens as government information has become more publicly accessible. Greater transparency is also a key policy of the Coalition Government, and in light of the deficit reduction programme there is an ever increasing public interest in how public money is spent. This has led to the publication of a wide range of public sector datasets and proposals to expand the Freedom of Information Act through the Protection of Freedoms Bill. Information Officers are central to these developments and need to be fully aware of the Act and the impact of future changes to it.

This training session is designed to help those who are on the receiving end of requests for information and those who advise and assist them.

This training course can be used as credit towards gaining the Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information.

Upcoming dates for this training course are:
  • London           Monday, 14th September 2015
  • Belfast            Monday, 28th September 2015
  • Manchester    Tuesday, 20th October 2015
     
For further information and to make a booking,
  1. Visit PDP's website 
  2. Telephone PDP at +44 (0)207 014 3399
  3. Download the PDF Training Catalogue 

FOI Practical Training - Level 2 (Applying the Exemptions)
Public sector bodies must make daily
Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds
Liz Fitsimons
Eversheds
decisions on how to respond to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and how to apply the exemptions in the Act. Those decisions are increasingly reviewed and, in many cases, overturned by the Information Commissioner, the Information Tribunal and the Courts. As case law develops and changes, public authorities need to ensure that they understand when the exemptions can be applied, and what they have to demonstrate to apply them correctly.

This training session considers in detail the practical application of the main FOI exemptions.

A discount is available for delegates booking both FOI Level 1 and FOI Level 2.

This training course can be used as credit towards gaining the Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information.

Upcoming dates for this training course are:
  • London          Tuesday, 15th September 2015
  • Belfast           Tuesday, 29th September 2015
  • Manchester    Wednesday, 21st October 2015
For further information and to make a booking,
  1. Visit PDP's website 
  2. Telephone PDP at +44 (0)207 014 3399
  3. Download the PDF Training Catalogue 
FOI and Data Protection - how they work together 
Damien Welfare, Cornerstone Barristers
Damien Welfare
Cornerstone Barristers
Understanding the interface between the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998 is essential for all those who have FOI and data protection compliance roles in public sector organisations. This training session, led by Damien Welfare, explains the key legal principles which govern when personal data should and should not be released in response to subject access requests and FOI requests, as well as the challenging overlap between the two regimes.

This training session is taking place on the following dates:
  • London          Wednesday, 16th September 2015
  • Belfast           Wednesday, 30th September 2015
  • Manchester    Thursday, 22 October 2015 
This training course can be used as credit towards gaining the Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information.

For further information and to make a booking,
  1. Visit PDP's website 
  2. Telephone PDP at +44 (0)207 014 3399
  3. Download the PDF Training Catalogue 
Understanding the Environmental Information Regulations
Damien Welfare, Cornerstone Barristers
Damien Welfare Cornerstone Barristers
The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 cover a wide range of information which has often been assumed to fall under the Freedom of Information Act.

Public authorities and their advisors, and those contracting with the public sector or carrying out public functions, need to understand the scope of the Regulations in order to handle information requests correctly.

This session explains the meaning and scope of the EIR. It examines in detail the boundary with FOI, based on decisions of the Information Commissioner and Information Tribunal and on guidance from DEFRA; including the potential role of a remoteness test in limiting the range of information covered. It analyses the "exceptions" and how to approach the public interest test.

This next sessions take place on the following dates:
  • London          Thursday, 17th September 2015
  • Belfast           Thursday, 1st October 2015
  • Manchester    Friday, 23rd October 2015
For further information and to make a booking,
  1. Visit PDP's website 
  2. Telephone PDP at +44 (0)207 014 3399
  3. Download the PDF Training Catalogue 
View All PDP Training Courses
If you are interested in seeing all the training courses that PDP offers, you can visit the PDP Training website.
 


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On the hook - public authorities under the EIRs

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