FOIMan’s last article for PDP’s Freedom of Information Journal (for now) looks at where we are now with FOI in the UK – and where should we head next.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) received royal assent on 30 November 2000 and has been fully in force since 2005. What has been achieved over the last 20 years? What is the state of FOI now? And what should happen next? In my latest – and last – article for PDP’s FOI Journal, I seek to answer these questions.
I’ve been helped by Maurice Frankel, director of the Campaign for FOI, journalist Claire Miller, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and a number of practitioners, all of whom kindly took the time to answer my questions. We look at such issues as whether FOI is fit for purpose, whether the ICO should be split up into two separate regulators for data protection and FOI, and what should be included in a new FOIA. You can read the full article here.
The last few months have meant a lot of change for me – I’ve previously posted about my new job. One of the things that I have reluctantly decided to stop doing so that I can focus on my new role is writing for the FOI Journal.
Over the last few years I have written 44 articles for the journal, comprising what I conservatively estimate to be around 120,000 words, and whilst occasionally I’ve struggled to come up with new subjects, it’s been one of the most enjoyable parts of my FOIMan work in recent years, allowing me to explore issues in much more depth than I could do in a blogpost or even on a training course. I would like to thank the editor of the journal, Rezzan Huseyin, who has helped to ensure my ramblings make sense and generally been a joy to work with. You can still read all of my previous articles here, and who knows, I may return with the occasional piece for the journal in the future.