Dept of Constitutional Affairs website: "Generic User Requirements Specification for IT Systems" now available

The Department for Constitutional Affairs has published a "Generic User
Requirements Specificationfor IT Systems to Manage Freedom of Information and Environmental
Information Regulations Enquiries".

http://www.dca.gov.uk/foi/map/gusv4contents.htm

Irish FOI networks

Details (reports, meetings etc) of the various Irish networks that feed into the FOI development and management in Ireland are a useful insight into the process of how user feedback will need to considered in the UK. Available on the FOI central policy unit website:

http://www.foi.gov.ie/foi.nsf/Meetings?OpenFrameSet

Training on FOI for UK journalists

"A training programme has been launched to prepare newspapers for the Freedom of Information Act, which comes into force next year. Cleland Thom Journalism Training Services is providing workshops, in-house training and newsroom resources in a comprehensive package to help journalists find their way round the new law. Cleland Thom is running two training workshops - on Friday May 14 and Friday July 2 - in London. Others are planned for the autumn."

Hold the Frontpage

US. 'No Photo' Policy, Caskets of U.S. Soldiers and US FOIA

"A policy dating back to the first Bush administration bans media coverage of caskets arriving at military bases. The photographs were released to First Amendment activist Russ Kick, who had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to get the images"

http://npr.streamsage.com/google/programlist/feature.php?wfid=1849313

Re-assessing Priorities for FoI Compliance:

Monday April 26th, 8am on www.eGovTV.tv

The programme includes three panel discussions looking at the specific aspects of implementing FoI
compliance and managing information and FoI requests. This is supported by
three case studies and a keynote interview from the Information Commissioner. Also participating in the programme are senior representatives from the Information Commission, Department of Constitutional Affairs, the
ACPO, the Department of Health, the LGA BT, Microsoft, Tower Software and
Objective

The programme includes:

Keynote Interview - Richard Thomas, Information Commissioner

Panel Discussions:
Re-assessing Priorities for FoI
Fast-Tracking FoI Implementation
Managing Your Information for FoI Requests

Case Studies
FoI and information management implementation at
Powys County Council
The Scottish Executive
National Maritime Museum

FOIA guidance no5 : commercial interest

Now available on the IC website

Covers issues such as defining trade secrets and commercial interest, inlcudes examples of information effected by commercial interest and implementation issues.

Electronic Data misuse in UK Government departments: a significant problem?

Article from IT analysis.com

"Statistics on abuse of data by Governmental Organisations should be made available under the Freedom of Information Act"

New Corporate plan for the Information Commissioner

Available on the ICO website:

FOI IMPLEMENTATION - PRACTICALITY RATHER THAN STRATEGY *** UMIST, MANCHESTER, 13 May


"Implementing FOI - The Information Culture Change"

The Green Sheet magazine in conjunction with BSI

Regional Seminar Series 2004

Will your staff be ready to handle Freedom of Information access requests by January 1, 2005 and will your organisation have the policies and procedures in place to respond? These seminars are intended for those who may not have specific records management or FOI knowledge but who need to understand the practicalities of implementing appropriate policies, procedures and training prior to 1st January 2005.

The seminars give an understanding of the underlying legislative framework, organisational requirements and review current training requirements and available resources.

Register : http://www.green-sheet.net/seminars.htm

For further information contact Tim Nixon: 024 7638 2328

Email: tim@green-sheet.net

Campaign for FOI news

The Campaign for Freedom of Information has published a report on FoI publication schemes
produced by central government bodies, highlighting examples of good practice:
http://www.cfoi.org.uk/pdf/ps_report.pdf .

Also: The Campaign has responded to a preliminary HSC/E consultation on proposals to amend the statutory prohibition on disclosure in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. (listed on the blog a few weeks ago)

plus an article by Maurice Frankel 'FOI: to deter malpractice' has appeared in the March-April edition of Free Press.

Irish FOIA reveals flaws in e-voting

Recently released government documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, reveal shocking lapses in both security and accuracy in the pilot tests of Electronic Voting in the 2002 General Election.

Source Politics.ie

Second Annual Access to Information Conference on 12 May 2004

More details on the event I listed last week, if you attend one FOI event this year, I'd recommend this one......an excellent line up of speakers.

"This year the conference is supported by the Information Commissioner and the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The keynote address will be delivered by the Minister responsible for Information Rights, Lord Filkin. You will hear from the key players in the field including Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, Andrew McDonald the Constitution Director at the DCA. We are also pleased to bring you two international speakers with over 20 years experience in access issues: Judge Anand Satyanand, the New Zealand Ombudsman and Professor Alasdair Roberts, Syracuse University, New York. Back by popular demand are our practical workshops on handling requests. This year we've also included workshops on data protection and records management in local government. "

More information:www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/foidp/events.php

To register:www.capita-ld.co.uk/conferences
Contact the conference producer:samantha.boyle@capita.co.uk or telephone 08701659316

Free event - Widsom V6 software

Invitation to the Launch of Wisdom v. 6

Diagonal Solutions is holding an event designed to launch the new version of Wisdom, with a
suite of new Freedom of Information modules at Microsoft UK headquarters in Reading on the 20th
May 2004

register free

http://www.diagonal-solutions.co.uk/event_20may04.html

Freedom of Information Connect 2004

3-4 June 2004, Millennium Mayfair Hotel, London, UK

Register now at http://foi.arkconnects.com

Information about Tenders and contracts: examples

Looking at the EU Tenders online database service, Tenders from Irish Public authorities come with the following information addded: "Information in relation to this tender may be made available on demand in accordance with Freedom of Information Act, 1997. Applicants should state if any of the information supplied by them in response to this contract notice, is confidential or commercially sensitive or should not be disclosed in response to a request for information under the aforementioned act. Applicants should state why they consider the information to be confidential or commercially sensitive."

An example for Galway Council states: "Freedom of Information Act: Galway County Council will have regard to the relevant provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997 in considering the requests to participate and subsequent tenders. If you consider that any of the information supplied by you is either commercially sensitive or confidential in nature, this should be highlighted and the reasons for its sensitivity specified. In such cases the relevant material will in response to Freedom of Information requests, be examined in the light of the exemptions provided in the Freedom of Information Act."

There is a Tender from the House of Commons listed for building services that states: "The House of Lords and the House of Commons are Public Authorities within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and all correspondence received will be dealt with in accordance with the Act." (the only UK example on the database)

UCL Constitution Unit events

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/foidp/events.php

Public Seminar: The Benefits of Freedom of Information
6.15pm, Wednesday 19 May

Judge Anand Satyanand, New Zealand Ombudsman

Constitution Unit and CAPITA joint conferences
Freedom of Information Act; A Half Day Workshop for Practitioners
5th April 2004, Queens Hotel, Leeds
7th April 2004 London

Access to Information Conference 2004
12th May 2004, Commonwealth Conference Centre, London

Guidance on contracts

Masons' implementation manual offers advice on contracts, tenders and Intellectual property issues (cost £180)

More details

FOI conference Pt II now available on e-gov bulletin

Part II of the report of last months' seminar 'Freedom of Information (FoI) compliance - the key to e-government?' (http://www.electronic-government.com/foi.htm), hosted by E-Government Bulletin and sponsored by BT OpenAccess.

Guardian uses Open Government Code : "Public were misled over cost of £10bn rail line"

Guardian Thursday April 1, 2004

"A previously unpublished report obtained by the Guardian under the "open government" code shows how as early as 1994 - two years before Railtrack was privatised and five years before the original version of the project collapsed, contributing to the firm's eventual destruction - consultants recommended that Railtrack and the then Tory government use an untried, high technology signalling system for the line."