FOIMan answers your questions in the latest issue of the Freedom of Information Journal.
I recently put out a call to practitioners for their FOI problems with a view to featuring them (and my solutions) in one of my articles for the Freedom of Information Journal. You can now read the results in what I hope will be the first of a semi-regular feature: FOIMan’s FOI Inbox.
Problems posed in the first of these articles are:
- when can small numbers be refused as personal data (if you shouted out ‘five or less’ or similar just now, you can do three laps of the sportsfield – rounded up to five, of course – right now…go on, off you go *folds arms, raises eyebrows, P.E. teacher-style*)?
- do public authorities have to provide an email address to which FOI requests can be addressed?
- how do you work out whether information in the possession of contractors is held for FOI purposes, especially when many contractual relationships are so complex?
Thanks to Gillian, Sarah and Mark for contributing the questions this time around. If you’re an FOI Officer struggling with any FOI or EIR issues, please do get in touch with myself or the FOI Journal editor and I’ll try to answer your query in print in a future issue.