Freedom of Information in the UK - weak & useless

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• SnowdoniaDonut Posts: 22

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  15/08/13 - 22:26 #2

  It's a reason to emigrate, I guess. :sleep:

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• Bungitin Posts: 5,356

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  15/08/13 - 22:30 #3

  Six and a half years for that disclosure.
  
  

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• Ragnarok Posts: 4,655

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  15/08/13 - 22:31 #4

  It's been a reason for years for people in public office to do things off the record, and leave sod all for historians in a few decades.

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• clarribo Posts: 6,258

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  15/08/13 - 23:44 #5

  ffs wondered why the link didn't work!

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• Pootmatoot Posts: 15,640

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  15/08/13 - 23:47 #6

  The most critical current aspect is what happens in the Downing Street kitchen table - which is not subject to FOI requests, as it's a private space.
  
  Why is Cameron having so many meetings there? They can't all be discussing birthday arrangements for his children - especially with Tobacco bosses, banking bosses, arms manufacturers....

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• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,811

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  15/08/13 - 23:48 #7

  clarribo wrote: »

  ffs wondered why the link didn't work!

  
  Nor me.

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• jenzie Posts: 20,821

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  16/08/13 - 01:15 #8

  transparency my ARSE

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• Boselecta Posts: 1,640

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  16/08/13 - 01:21 #9

  I do think a lot of the problem is the system being completely overwhelmed with mental and idiotic requests though. It makes my blood boil when I see that a public office has to use taxpayer's money to employ staff to answer FOI requests like "what are your opening hours?" The FOI route is too often hijacked by knobs with general enquiries or an unreasonable campaign/vendetta. The system gets clogged up to the detriment of genuine, relevant or public-interest requests.

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• solarflare Posts: 22,382

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  16/08/13 - 01:30 #10

  Boselecta wrote: »

  I do think a lot of the problem is the system being completely overwhelmed with mental and idiotic requests though. It makes my blood boil when I see that a public office has to use taxpayer's money to employ staff to answer FOI requests like "what are your opening hours?" The FOI route is too often hijacked by knobs with general enquiries or an unreasonable campaign/vendetta. The system gets clogged up to the detriment of genuine, relevant or public-interest requests.

  
  Totally agree.

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• lemoncurd Posts: 57,778

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  16/08/13 - 13:27 #11

  The ICO is too slow too. I made an FOI request to my council last year, because of some dodgy shenanigans with BAE Systems and land they wanted to plonk a housing estate on. They refused to release information under the FOIA, instead releasing it under environmental legislation ("because it involved some environmental matters"), which basically meant they could hold back on the discussions they had had.
  So, I complained to the ICO in January. Only last week did I get a response saying they "agreed, and here's a load more info from the council".
  Sadly, it's too late now - a demolition team moved in earlier in the year.

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• RickyBarby Posts: 5,902

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  16/08/13 - 14:32 #12

  Pootmatoot wrote: »

  The most critical current aspect is what happens in the Downing Street kitchen table - which is not subject to FOI requests, as it's a private space.
  
  Why is Cameron having so many meetings there? They can't all be discussing birthday arrangements for his children - especially with Tobacco bosses, banking bosses, arms manufacturers....

  
  I would not put it past the f****** c*** to hold secret meetings in his private areas

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• wantoosoon Posts: 1,073

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  16/08/13 - 15:33 #13

  I love how they often claim that something isn't in the public interest. WE are the public, and we've shown that we want this information. Such bullshit excuses.

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• Slarti Bartfast Posts: 6,607

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  16/08/13 - 15:36 #14

  RickyBarby wrote: »

  I would not put it past the f****** c*** to hold secret meetings in his private areas

  
  I would like to facilitate a meeting between shoe leather and flesh in his private area.

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• riceuten Posts: 5,876

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  17/08/13 - 02:52 #15

  I deal with a considerable number of FoIs and have done so for many years.
  
  Part of the issues are
  
  i) the person wants too much information on a subject - they'll ask for a copy of "all the files on this development" - so the Council can reject that on cost grounds.
  
  ii) the person wants personal information - they'll ask for "a list of all the addresses of people whose kids got into this school before my child" - thereby allowing us to disallow it on data protection grounds.
  
  iii) the person wants already available information - for instance, if someone rings me up and asks me for a list of schools and the addresses, I'll email it in 5 minutes. If they FoI it, I have to get my manager and HIS manager to countersign it, AND then have it sent to our FoI team - around 2 weeks. A waste of time and money
  
  iv) Like Boselecta said "system being completely overwhelmed with mental and idiotic requests though" - we often get ones along the lines of "We DEMAND you give us evidence we are being ripped off for service charges" - you'll need to be more specific than that, and even if it were available, you'd be hard pushed to find a body that wouldn't put a spin on it
  
  v) Firms using it to promote their shonky products. We had an FoI last year asking us which VLE platforms schools were using - solely so the firm could flood the schools with ads
  
  vi) Lazy hacks writing stories looking for evidence that backs up their party line - we were regularly indundated by FoIs from News of the Screws and Daily Telegraph journos, you could usually see the story write itself before you'd finished the FoI ("Looney left Waltham Forest Council gives money to mad Muslim school shock horror scandal probe")

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