Groups and Committees

Freedom of Information Act Working Group

Next meeting:

About the group

The Working Group is responsible for producing guidance for suppliers on the Freedom of Information Act and its implication for suppliers doing business with the public sector. It is also responsible for liaising with relevant government bodies regarding how the provisions of the Act and its implementation can be improved. 

Aims and objectives

The Freedom of Information Act, which came into Force in January 2005, gives people a general right of access to information held by or on behalf of public authorities, and has a number of implications for suppliers working in the public sector market.

The high-level Intellect guidance, produced in July 2005, summarises some of the key issues relating to the Freedom of Information Act for the benefit of Intellect’s members and is intended to raise awareness of the implications of the Act on the services suppliers provide to public sector clients. It also seeks to provide some practical steps that will enable suppliers to mitigate the risk of their information being disclosed improperly.

The Working Group is currently working on producing more detailed guidance on the Freedom of Information Act based on the emerging case law, as well as a position paper on industry’s view on the Act. We are also in discussions with OGC and DCA regarding how the implementation of the Act can be improved to take into account suppliers’ concerns.

For further information contact:

Sebastian Fox
T 020 7331 2024
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27/02/06 - Intellect Response to the Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the operation of the Freedom of Information Act: one year on (pdf 100KB, members only) more»

Freedom of Information Act Guidance (pdf 713KB, members only) more»

26/07/05 - Press Release: Suppliers still uncertain of impact of Freedom of Information Act more»