ICO to prioritise Freedom of Information complaints with significant public interest
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Thursday, March 30, 2023
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The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a new approach to prioritise complaints made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) where there is significant public interest.
Key Points:
- The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a new approach to prioritise complaints made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) where there is significant public interest.
- As part of the ICO’s efforts to improve its FOI services, the new prioritisation framework will ensure that complaints where there is significant public interest in the information requested will now be dealt with quicker than previously.
- The prioritisation framework is one of the ICO’s new ways of working to ensure people receive swifter responses.
- “At the ICO we, like many public bodies, continue to face the long-term challenge of doing more with less in real terms.
- “Timeliness is everything in access to information, so we need the support from public authorities to ensure people are receiving timely responses.
- The new criteria provides clear guidance and expectations about what constitutes significant public interest – for example, if the issue is likely to involve large amounts of public money, or the information may significantly impact vulnerable groups.
- The criteria will be kept under review and cover complaints made under both FOIA and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR).