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FOI

Freedom of Information Act:
Overview

Background

The Freedom of Information Act entitles members of the public to ask a public authority (including the NHS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for any recorded information they keep.

It reflects a national policy shift in public administration from a culture of confidentiality to one of openness.

The underlying principle is that all information held by a public authority should be freely available except for a small number of tightly defined items.

The Act is enforced by the Information Commissioner, a post that combines regulation of both the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act.

Printable Information

The complete Publication Scheme, containing all the information on our Freedom of Information section of our website, can be accessed as a single document via the link below.

Publication Scheme
(This document opens in a new window)

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