Media roundup

BBC News - Iraq date should be published
"The government should reveal the date it first sought legal advice on the Iraq war, a watchdog body has said.
The Foreign Office (FCO) had refused the request from the Lib Dems, saying it might "harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion"

The Times 16th February - You may be dying to know this
"Sir Bruce Keogh, gave warning yesterday that piecemeal publication of such detailed data by individual hospitals, which is already happening, partly due to the Freedom of Information Act, is “irresponsible” and could be “devastating” for patients and the profession."

Daily Telegraph - Surgeons seek to block heart league tables
"Sir Bruce Keogh, the president-elect of the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons, and Neil Moat, director of surgery at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, said there was a real danger that the publication, being forced on hospitals under the Freedom of Information Act, would put intolerable stress on patients, surgeons and the NHS."

Cambridge News 15th February - Motorists pay fewest fines for speeding"FEWER drivers are caught by speed cameras in Cambridgeshire than anywhere else in the country.Candid camera: Few drivers caught
New figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show that in the year ending March 2004, 20,763 speeding tickets were issued to motorists, netting £1,245,780 in fines."

Cambridge News 15th February - 170 attacks a year on hospital staff
"A gruesome catalogue of abuse is detailed in the log - requested by us under the Freedom of Information Act - showing how staff at the Cambridge hospital have been punched, kicked, bitten, threatened, spat at and scratched by patients."

The Register 14th February - Gov.uk delves into EDS finances

Independent 14th February - Attorney General 'distanced himself from war advice'
"Letters released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that, just three days before delivering his legal backing for the war in Iraq and five days before the invasion began, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith QC wrote to No 10 saying the legal case rested on a personal judgement call by the Prime Minister."

Independent 14th February - Heart deaths up to seven times higher with some surgeons
"Patients will for the first time be able to check the records of their surgeons before going under the knife. The data is being made available in response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act ushering in a new era of openness in the NHS."