Freedom of Information Act 2000
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 is often confused with the Data Protection Act 2018, which deals with the manner data is processed in relation to individuals.
The Freedom of Information Act only applies to tiers of Government; the Government itself, local authorities, the NHS, the Police and the like are subjected to the legislation not private individuals or organisations. With notable exceptions, an application (a FOI) under the Act, is designed to allow members of the public to gain information from public bodies. It is a useful research tool for organisation investigating business potential and most certainly its application is under-utilised.
As you would expect, all public authorities have in-house “gurus,” whose sole purpose appears to be to thwart disclosure. Applications for information are far from straightforward and there are many exemptions within the Act, which are adopted by public authorities to prevent disclosure. On the basis the general public are none the wiser, the exemptions are often improperly applied.
AAL have an FOI strategy, based on years of experience and now adopt a “funnel technique,” to disguise the ulterior motive of the research.
If you are contemplating making an FOI application, you should contact AAL before submitting your request – it may save you an inordinate amount of time and aggravation.