Freedom of Information Act 2000
Sections and provisions with full text and the judgments that cite each one.
Section 1 — General right of access to information held by public authorities.
General right of access to information held by public authorities. 1 1 Any person making a request for information to a public authority is entitled— a to be informed in writing by the public…
Section 2 — Effect of the exemptions in Part II.
Effect of the exemptions in Part II. 2 1 Where any provision of Part II states that the duty to confirm or deny does not arise in relation to any information, the effect of the provision is that…
Section 3 — Public authorities.
Public authorities. 3 1 In this Act “ public authority ” means— a subject to section 4(4), any body which, any other person who, or the holder of any office which— i is listed in Schedule 1, or ii is…
Section 4 — Amendment of Schedule 1.
Amendment of Schedule 1. 4 1 The Secretary of State or the may by order amend Schedule 1 by adding to that Schedule a reference to any body or the holder of any office which (in either case) is not…
Section 5 — Further power to designate public authorities.
Further power to designate public authorities. 5 1 The Secretary of State or the may by order designate as a public authority for the purposes of this Act any person who is neither listed in Schedule…
Section 5A — Access to public records
Access to public records 5A It shall be the duty of the Deputy Keeper of the Records of Northern Ireland to arrange that reasonable facilities are available to the public for inspecting and obtaining…
Section 6 — Publicly-owned companies.
Publicly-owned companies. 6 1 A company is a “ publicly-owned company ” for the purposes of section 3(1)(b) if— a it is wholly owned by the Crown, ... b it is wholly owned by the wider public sector…
Section 7 — Public authorities to which Act has limited application.
Public authorities to which Act has limited application. 7 1 Where a public authority is listed in Schedule 1 only in relation to information of a specified description, nothing in Parts I to V of…
Section 8 — Request for information.
Request for information. 8 1 In this Act any reference to a “ request for information ” is a reference to such a request which— a is in writing, b states the name of the applicant and an address for…
Section 9 — Fees.
Fees. 9 1 A public authority to whom a request for information is made may, within the period for complying with section 1(1), give the applicant a notice in writing (in this Act referred to as a “…
Section 9A — Unstructured personal data held by public authorities.
Unstructured personal data held by public authorities. 9A 1 In this section “ unstructured personal data ” means any personal data falling within paragraph (e) of the definition of “data” in section…
Section 10 — Time for compliance with request.
Time for compliance with request. 10 1 Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a public authority must comply with section 1(1) promptly and in any event not later than the twentieth working day…
Section 11 — Means by which communication to be made.
Means by which communication to be made. 11 1 Where, on making his request for information, the applicant expresses a preference for communication by any one or more of the following means, namely— a…
Section 11A — Release of datasets for re-use
Release of datasets for re-use 11A 1 This section applies where— a a person makes a request for information to a public authority in respect of information that is, or forms part of, a dataset held…
Section 11AA — Disclosure of information by Parliamentary Commissioner to Information Commissioner.
Disclosure of information by Parliamentary Commissioner to Information Commissioner. 11AA 1 The Commissioner may disclose to the Information Commissioner any information obtained by, or furnished to,…
Section 11B — Power to charge fees in relation to release of datasets for re-use
Power to charge fees in relation to release of datasets for re-use 11B 1 The Minister for the Cabinet Office may, with the consent of the Treasury, make provision by regulations about the charging of…
Section 12 — Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.
Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit. 12 1 Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of…
Section 13 — Fees for disclosure where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.
Fees for disclosure where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit. 13 1 A public authority may charge for the communication of any information whose communication— a is not required by section…
Section 14 — Vexatious or repeated requests.
Vexatious or repeated requests. 14 1 Section 1(1) does not oblige a public authority to comply with a request for information if the request is vexatious. 2 Where a public authority has previously…
Section 14A
14A 1 This paragraph applies to personal data which fall within paragraph (e) of the definition of “data” in section 1(1) and do not fall within paragraph 14(1)(a), but does not apply to eligible…
Section 15 — Special provisions relating to public records transferred to Public Record Office, etc.
Special provisions relating to public records transferred to Public Record Office, etc. 15 1 Where— a the appropriate records authority receives a request for information which relates to information…
Section 16 — Duty to provide advice and assistance.
Duty to provide advice and assistance. 16 1 It shall be the duty of a public authority to provide advice and assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do so, to persons…
Section 17 — Refusal of request.
Refusal of request. 17 1 A public authority which, in relation to any request for information, is to any extent relying on a claim that any provision of Part II relating to the duty to confirm or…
Section 18 — The Information Commissioner . . .
The Information Commissioner . . . 18 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 In this Act— a the…
Section 18A — Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner.
Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner. 18A 1 The Health Service Commissioner for England or the Health Service Commissioner for Wales may disclose to the Information Commissioner any…
Section 19 — Publication schemes.
Publication schemes. 19 1 It shall be the duty of every public authority— a to adopt and maintain a scheme which relates to the publication of information by the authority and is approved by the…
Section 19A — Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner
Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner 19A 1 The Ombudsman may disclose to the Information Commissioner any information obtained by, or furnished to, the Omubudsman under or for the…
Section 20 — Model publication schemes.
Model publication schemes. 20 1 The Commissioner may from time to time approve, in relation to public authorities falling within particular classes, model publication schemes prepared by him or by…
Section 21 — Information accessible to applicant by other means.
Information accessible to applicant by other means. 21 1 Information which is reasonably accessible to the applicant otherwise than under section 1 is exempt information. 2 For the purposes of…
Section 21A — Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner
Disclosure of information to Information Commissioner 21A 1 The Commissioner may disclose to the Information Commissioner any information obtained by, or furnished to, the Commissioner under or for…
Section 22 — Information intended for future publication.
Information intended for future publication. 22 1 Information is exempt information if— a the information is held by the public authority with a view to its publication, by the authority or any other…
Section 22A — Research
Research 22A 1 Information obtained in the course of, or derived from, a programme of research is exempt information if— a the programme is continuing with a view to the publication, by a public…
Section 23 — Information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters.
Information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters. 23 1 Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it was directly or indirectly supplied to the…
Section 24 — National security.
National security. 24 1 Information which does not fall within section 23(1) is exempt information if exemption from section 1(1)(b) is required for the purpose of safeguarding national security. 2…
Section 25 — Certificates under ss. 23 and 24: supplementary provisions.
Certificates under ss. 23 and 24: supplementary provisions. 25 1 A document purporting to be a certificate under section 23(2) or 24(3) shall be received in evidence and deemed to be such a…
Section 26 — Defence.
Defence. 26 1 Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice— a the defence of the British Islands or of any colony, or b the capability,…
Section 27 — International relations.
International relations. 27 1 Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice— a relations between the United Kingdom and any other State, b…
Section 28 — Relations within the United Kingdom.
Relations within the United Kingdom. 28 1 Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice relations between any administration in the United…
Section 29 — The economy.
The economy. 29 1 Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice— a the economic interests of the United Kingdom or of any part of the…
Section 30 — Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities.
Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities. 30 1 Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it has at any time been held by the authority for the purposes of—…
Section 31 — Law enforcement.
Law enforcement. 31 1 Information which is not exempt information by virtue of section 30 is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice— a the…
Section 32 — Court records, etc.
Court records, etc. 32 1 Information held by a public authority is exempt information if it is held only by virtue of being contained in— a any document filed with, or otherwise placed in the custody…
Section 33 — Audit functions.
Audit functions. 33 1 This section applies to any public authority which has functions in relation to— a the audit of the accounts of other public authorities, or b the examination of the economy,…
Section 33A — Manual data held by public authorities.
Manual data held by public authorities. 33A 1 Personal data falling within paragraph (e) of the definition of “data” in section 1(1) are exempt from— a the first, second, third, fifth, seventh and…
Section 34 — Parliamentary privilege.
Parliamentary privilege. 34 1 Information is exempt information if exemption from section 1(1)(b) is required for the purpose of avoiding an infringement of the privileges of either House of…
Section 35 — Formulation of government policy, etc.
Formulation of government policy, etc. 35 1 Information held by a government department or by the Welsh Assembly Government is exempt information if it relates to— a the formulation or development of…
Section 35A — Parliamentary privilege.
Parliamentary privilege. 35A Personal data are exempt from— a the first data protection principle, except to the extent to which it requires compliance with the conditions in Schedules 2 and 3, b the…
Section 36 — Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs.
Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs. 36 1 This section applies to— a information which is held by a government department or by the Welsh Assembly Government and is not exempt…
Section 37 — Communications with Her Majesty, etc. and honours.
Communications with Her Majesty, etc. and honours. 37 1 Information is exempt information if it relates to— a communications with the Sovereign, aa communications with the heir to, or the person who…
Section 38 — Health and safety.
Health and safety. 38 1 Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to— a endanger the physical or mental health of any individual, or b endanger the…