DEFRA press release

"NEW REGULATIONS PROPOSED TO REQUIRE AUTHORITIES TO RELEASE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION ON REQUEST " 22 July 2004

Press release
Today the Government proposed an amendment to the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) to allow the public the right to request access to environmental information held by public authorities.

The new EIRs will strengthen the existing regulations and allow the public access to information on a variety of environmental information from air, water and land, to flora and fauna, natural sites, food, the built environment and health.

The amended regulations will:

mean information can only be withheld if the public interest in doing so clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure
give enforcement powers to the Information Commissioner
introduce a 20 working day deadline for responding to requests
make available a schedule of fees
apply rules not only to public authorities themselves but also to environmental information held by organisations under the control of a public authority, such as waste contractors.
Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett said:

'One of the key principles of the UK Strategy on Sustainable Development is to make the opportunity to access environmental information available to everyone so that people can play an active role in decision-making.

More information on the EIRs