After an unanswered Freedom of Information request from the 13th February earlier this year Blacon High School advised today that an internal review of their failure to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is due back 25th April. They are taking the maximum time to respond allowed under the law.
Advice from the Information Commissioners’s Office (ICO) with regards to responding to a Freedom of Information request –“Your main obligation under the Act is to respond to requests promptly, with a time limit acting as the longest time you can take.”
13 February until 25 April… prompt? Blacon High School didn’t even respond to the initial Freedom of Information request and do not have a Freedom of Information Publication scheme on their website.
Advice from the ICO, “The publication scheme covers information you have already decided you can give out. People should be able to access this information directly on the web, or receive it promptly and automatically whenever they ask.” – One has been asked for.
Also from ICO “The Act is designed to increase transparency. Members of the public should be able to routinely access information that is in the public interest and is safe to disclose.”
Mmm… transparent and being “able to routinely access information” has certainly not been the experience with this Freedom of Information request.
