DEFRA reports on access to environmental information

DEFRA have published the following two reports on the operation of the Environmental Information Regulations, which implement a EU directive on public access to environmental information, and provide a parallel right of access to the Freedom of Information Act:

Report to the European Commission

Member States are under an obligation to report by 14 August 2009 to the European Commission on the experience gained in the application of the European Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to environmental information. This Directive was transposed into UK law as the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

Public access to environmental information – Experience gained in the application of Directive 2003/4/EC

Members of the public are welcome to submit their views. If you let us have your comments by mid-October we will arrange to forward them to the European Commission.

Our contact details are:

Environmental Information Unit
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Area 1B, Ergon House,
Horseferry Road,
London SW1P 2AL
Email: environmentalinformationunit@defra.gsi.gov.uk

The Local Authority Survey 2008

In late 2008 Defra carried out a questionnaire-based survey of local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to gather views on their experience of applying the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (the EIRs). The survey was aimed at finding out

• whether local authorities found Defra’s EIR guidance useful
• how the website could be improved, and
• how local authorities were dealing with the disclosure of environmental information in general.
  

Read the report on the survey (PDF 275 KB)