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Signs of cabinet u-turn on FOI
157/Barry White
DATELINE: 15/6/07
The Campaign for Freedom of Information and other campaigners have welcomed a recent announcement, which suggests that the Government is no longer committed to introducing major restrictions to the Freedom of Information Act. Instead it has announced a further consultation, asking whether changes to the Act are needed at all.
Maurice Frankel director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information said: "This raises the strong possibility that the Government will eventually decide to leave the current arrangements untouched. If it does decide to make any changes they are likely to be far more limited than the highly damaging restrictions which had been proposed."
He added: "The decision will now be deferred until after Tony Blair stands down. It is extremely unlikely that Gordon Brown, who is promising to 'renew' the Government, would attempt to do so by neutering the FOI Act in the way that had been proposed."
The new consultation period runs until 21 June and the Government says it may take up to a further three months to decide what to do. Tony Blair is expected to leave office at the end of June.
Last year the Government announced it intended to make two changes to the fees regulations under the Freedom of Information Act, making it significantly easier for requests to be refused on cost grounds. In December it consulted about draft regulations to implement these changes. The consultation was limited to technical questions about the fine-tuning of the proposals. It did not ask whether they were needed at all. Today's decision means the Government is now considering, and seeking views on, this key issue.
In its response to the previous consultation, the Campaign for Freedom of Information expressed its "serious concern not only about the proposals themselves, but also about the way in which they have been developed. Neither requesters nor public bodies have been asked about their experiences of the legislation, about any problems they may have encountered, whether any changes to address them are necessary and, if so, what these might be… The absence of public involvement or consultation on the wider issues is not merely procedurally unfair; it has distorted the exercise itself."
A massive campaign of opposition to the proposals was launched when the Government originally announced its intention to neuter, the Act. Over 1,250 journalists signed the Press Gazette's Don't Kill FOI petition, which it has relaunched in response to this second consultation.
A review commissioned by the Government last year showed that the total annual costs of the FOI Act, across the whole public sector, are £35.5m. It estimated that the proposed changes would save up to £10m, but allow up to 17,500 requests, which are currently answered, to be refused on cost grounds.
The Campaign's for Freedom of Information's response to the previous consultation can be read at:
http://www.cfoi.org.uk/pdf/CFOI_fees_response.pdf
The new consultation document issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs today can be found at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/dpr2007/cp2806.htm
The DCA press release on the new consultation can be found at: http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=275094&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=True
LINKSCFOI response to fees consultation
Latest DCA consultation on FOI
DCA Press Release
Last modified: Friday, June 15, 2007
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
DOWNLOAD FREEPRESS NOW
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
DATELINE: 26/3/10
Papers from the Media for All Conference
MEDIA MANIFESTO
DATELINE: 26/3/10
The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Free Speech & Censorship
Swiss trio cleared by military court
The battle goes on
State interest v public interest
Review: The Truth is Out There
A very British coup
50 years of censorship
Trial Exposes Bush-Blair Secrets
FoI rethink
Downing St will throw aide to the wolves
Galloway accuses BBC over Blair disc 'ban'
Secrets, lies and diplomats
MPs seek special exemption from FoI laws
Fighting back for freedom
Access all areas?
Secrets trial to be secret
Libel ruling is victory for British journalism
Memoirs and Whistleblowers
Shayler Silenced
Official Secrets Act: Where are we now?
The Price of Freedom
Another success for British justice
MI5 whistleblower back in court
The Danish cartoon controversy and World Press Freedom Day
Improving Cultural Communication
The Need for Context
The Danish Cartoon Controversy
IFEX conference highlights freedom of expression
Statement of Media Professionals Meeting to Discuss the Danish Cartoons Controversy
Freedom of Expression or Hate Speech
Religion and Freedom of the Press
