Media roundup

Kent Messegner
"THE KENT Messenger Group has revealed how the scramble for votes by politicians during the general election campaign left Kent Police with an overtime bill for more than £40,000."full story (thanks to Paul)

Birmingham Sunday Mercury - Empty city office rented for £1.1m
"The figures were obtained by Birmingham Yardley MP John Hemming through a Freedom of Information Act inquiry."

The Guardian - 'Unsuitable' firm won huge MoD contract
"Defence ministers awarded a huge nuclear contract to a company even though officials had had serious doubts about the competence of the firm, internal documents obtained by the Guardian reveal."

The Sun- Cops rake in £100k a year
"Figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show a desperate need for more cops, critics say."

The Herald - Restaurant inspection reports to go online this week
"AN alternative food guide to restaurants in Glasgow is to go online on Thursday."

The Times - Firms abuse information laws to win extra chance of NHS work
"PRIVATE companies competing for hospital contracts are abusing freedom of information laws to obtain commercial details from NHS trusts."

Green Ribbon - Foreign Office material on Iraq mercenaries released
"I paid a visit to the US Cryptome website today as a result of this story in the Guardian.Whilst there I came across some interesting Freedom of Information material on the Foreign Office guidelines for relations with Private Military companies in Iraq."

Newcastle Chronicle - Louts ignore ASBOs
"Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show only 77 breaches have resulted in prison sentences, the others received non-custodial sentences or second chances."

Gloucestershire Echo - MOD LAND CONTAINS CHEMICALS
"Information about the contamination is contained in the 2002 sales agreement for the land, which has been obtained by resident Sally Morgan under the Freedom of Information Act."

Daily Telegraph-Treasury blocks move to flat rate inflation
"The Treasury has suppressed arguments in favour of introducing a flat tax - a radically simplified system charging the same rate on all income - documents passed to The Daily Telegraph show.The system is being backed by free market reformers worldwide but a Treasury paper released under the Freedom of Information Act last month had key sections detailing the advantages blacked out."

Bath Chronicle- HOW'S THIS FOR HYPOCRISY?
"The following are two examples of the Blair government caught in the trap of profoundly unethical foreign policies and one example of sickening hypocrisy. Information disclosed by the export credit guarantee department under the Freedom of Information Act reveals the Indonesian government receiving 11 export credit guarantees worth £146,490,412 covering military and internal repression related goods since 1997."


Japan - DPJ bill would close loopholes in FOI law
"The Democratic Party of Japan recently submitted to the latest Diet session a bill to revise the Freedom of Information Law, which has been criticized for loopholes barring the public from accessing substantial information on bureaucrats, despite stipulating such information be disclosed. "