Freedom of Information and the Law Course - Online Course

Description

This Freedom of Information and the Law training course explains the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act and the organisations that it applies to. It also covers who can make data requests, how to make requests and how they are processed.

This training takes approximately 1 hour to complete.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives a general right of public access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. Also, it sets out exemptions and places a number of obligations on public authorities. The Act covers any recorded information that is held by a public authority in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and by UK-wide public authorities based in Scotland.

At the end of the course you will be able to:

The first topic explains the purpose of the FOIA and who it applies to. It identifies what information people can request and who can make an FOI request. It outlines benefits that arise from the FOIA.

The second topic explains the difference between absolute and qualified exemptions. You will learn what is meant by 'in the public interest'. The topic also outlines the two-stage process for determining whether an FOI request should be refused.

The third topic outlines the key steps in making an FOI request. It identifies actions that you can take to save time, cost and resources. You will learn about how long it should take to deal with requests and what happens if you challenge a failed FOI request. The topic also discusses how you can use the information received from an FOI request responsibly.

The final topic outlines public authority duties that apply when an FOI request is received. It also describes the process for dealing with requests and refusing requests.