PDP - Back issues of Freedom of Information Journal

News items:

• FOI and EIRs developments in April 2026: key cases and regulatory trends
• AI driving more complex FOI requests?
• Controversy surrounding FOI costs limit reduction

Articles:

• Expert comment, by Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• What does it mean to ‘hold’ information? The Upper Tribunal clarifies, by Simon Ridding, 33 Bedford Row Chambers
• Back to basics — the procedural requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, by Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals, by Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• Holyrood wrestles with FOI reform as proposed Bill struggles to gain traction
• Reform councillors challenged over interpretation of council spending data obtained via FOI

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Super charge your section 40 responses! – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Success in the North? An appraisal of Scotland’s FOISA – Dr Ben Worthy, UCL
• Records management practice in the Microsoft 365 environment — relevant or pass?? – Claire Johnson, FOI trainer/consultant
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• Pressure grows on Home Office to publish asylum seeker death data proactively
• Scottish government launches consultation on extending FOI rights to care providers

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• A 2026 FOI forecast – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• ICO Decision Notices Snapshot — December 2025 – PDP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• Isle of Man review declines to broaden FOI coverage
• US lawsuit launched seeking access to federal government’s AI use

Articles:

• Expert comment –  Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• FOISA at 20: what’s next for Scottish access to information? – Paul Mutch, Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner
• Artificial Intelligence and FOI: A flood or a trickle? – Dr Ben Worthy, University College London
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• Bristol City Council’s FOI backlog appeal rejected
• HMRC ordered to disclose AI use in R&D tax credit decisions
• NHS Fife’s FOI compliance under scrutiny amidst Peggie Tribunal

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Hidden data in documents — what are the risks and solutions? – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan
• ICO Decision Notices – PDP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• Freedom of Information reveals gaps in government device security
• Bill to “fix” Scotland’s FOI regime wins broad support
• Data Use and Access Act receives Royal Assent

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Section 22 (the future publication exemption) — a helpful decision notice – Rowan Clapp
• Cornerstone Barristers
• Has FOIA actually made a difference? – Dr Ben Worthy, UCL
• ICO Decision Notices Snapshot — June 2025 – PDP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• CMA faces scrutiny over handling of journalists’ information requests
• Financial Conduct Authority’s email deletion policy sparks accountability concerns

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• The requirement for transparency and disclosure logs – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News items:

• FOI used to show how government profits from divorce fees
• Trump administration terminates FOI officials at agency overseeing government hires
• Two significant FOI cases now being heard

Articles:

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Applying section 40 — when will disclosure breach the first data protection principle? – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Three police bodies involved in latest spate of FOI enforcement activity
• Water companies asked to publish sewage discharge data
• ICO issues advice to local authorities facing financial restrictions

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• FOI and EIRs – an end of 2024 review – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• AI and ESG – useful roles in Information Management, or new ingredients in acronym soup? – Claire Johnson
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Jeremy Ogilvie-Harris, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Do better with resources, Commissioner tells Ministry of Defense
• Water company repeatedly fails to correctly classify requests
• ICO issues enforcement notice over FOI failures at Surrey Police
• Health information requests deemed ‘vexatious’

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Freedom of Information and the new procurement requirements – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Updates in Scotland, and revisiting good Records Management – Claire Johnson
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Verity Bell, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• ICO releases interim report on its FOI Upstream approach
• New report from consensual audits
• Latest enforcement notices
• Water companies must be more transparent, says ICO

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Protecting the interests of individuals supplying information under the EIRs – what do the latest ICO decision notices tell us? – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Verity Bell, Conerstone Barristers
• ICO Decision Notices Snapshot – July/August 2024

News Items

• Landmark case scrutinising use of AI under FOIA
• Major political parties silent on FOI before and after General Election
• Attempt to withhold information about neighbourhood scheme fails on public interest
• Board’s failure to engage with complainant significant factor in request not meeting vexatiousness threshold

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• The benefits of proactive publication – Vicki Bowles, Bevan Brittan LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Verity Bell, Conerstone Barristers
• Book review – Robin Hopkins, 11 KBW

News Items

• Contempt of court referrals will be made, says FOI Director
• Regulator asks for feedback on FOI resources
• Latest figures show UK government hits record low for FOI
• Cambridgeshire County Council ordered to release names after active travel FOI appeal

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherland
• FOIA or EIRs – when and what difference it makes – Liz Fitzsimons, Anna Allen and Varun Shingari, Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Verity Bell, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• “Leaders must take transparency seriously” – Commissioner
• ICO acts against five public authorities
• ICO updates guidance on Records Management Code of Practice
• Sweden’s FOI laws put citizens in danger, say experts

Articles

• Expert Comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – Verity Bell, Cornerstone Barristers
• 3 FOI lessons from the PSNI data breach – Vicki Bowles, VWV

News Items

• ICO demands urgent action from police body with huge FOI backlog
• Court of Appeal rules against Commissioner in FOI case
• New FOI in 90 seconds guide
• ICO updates FOIA and EIRs guideance
  

Articles

• Expert Comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands
• How to successfully apply Section 12 – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Cease using excel spreadsheets in FOI responses, instructs ICO
• ICO issues Enforcement Notice to City of York Council over FOI backlog
• ICO notes ‘paucity’ of Department’s arguments on balance of public interest
• Commissioner agrees with TfL that requests are manifestly unreasonable

Articles

• Expert Comment – Liz Fitzsimons, Eversheds Sutherlands
• Vexatious requests and the bruden vs public interest test – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• ICO publishes results of FOI listening exercise
• Latest enforcement activity
• MoJ tracking journalists making FOI requests
• SIC asked to launch investigation into WhatsApp use
• Guidance on sections 21 and 42 updated

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimmons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Lessons learned from recent ICO enforcement action – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• The requester and the requested – a constructive relationship – Martin Rosenbaum
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• ICO takes further enforcement action
• Commissioner warns against ‘unnecessary’ government FOI exemptions
• Prime Minister accused of ‘culture of concealment’
• Councils reprimanded for delays in responding to information requests
• FOI data breaches prompt invesitgation into Cabinet Office in Isle of Man
• More than 480 FOI requests made to Cork’s two local authorities

Articles

• Expert comment – Liz Fitzsimmons, Eversheds Sutherland
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimmons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• ICO launches FOI toolkit topic to help with vexatious requests
• Council told to clear backlog
• ICO will begin prioritising certain FOI complaints
• Ministers given new guidance on WhatsApp use
• Petition to protect rights to environmental information
• Government publishes £248m missing Covid contracts

Articles

• Appeals and becoming a party to appeals — what to expect – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Internal consultations on FOI requests — new guidance
• ICO releases suite of FOI resources
• ICO publishes new analysis of publication schemes
• Big Brother Watch compiles report based on FOI disclosures
• ICO investigated Cabinet Office over blocked Spycatcher documents
• Analysis of meetings between ministers and lobbyists

Articles

• Why narrowing the scope of personal data would affect the FOIA/EIRs – Damien Welfare
• Recent decisions of the Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• ICO to change the way it prioritises FOI complaints
• Government launches consultation into widening scope of FOI laws
• Council’s handling of FOI request ‘inappropriate’, according to self-commissioned report
• Public authority to disclose details of deals worth £1bn
• Campaign urges peers to amend National Security Bill
• New report on freedom of expression and Online Safety

Articles

• FOI enforcement — recent lessons – Lynn Wyeth, Head of Information Governance at Leicester City Council
• Sections 21 and 22 — information that is already available, or intended to be published – Vicki Bowles, Barrister, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• FCA brings in paralegals to tackle FOI backlog
• FOI reveals lobbying by BA owner to hide emissions data
• Caymans: FOI requests pick up after lockdown decline

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: Developing a Records Management Programme – John Wilson
• Section 42 — Legal Professional Privilege – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Cabinet Office rejects recommendations to improve transparency of its FOI handling
• New transparency law proposed in Scotland
• Reading Council delays with FOI requests

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: who is responsible? – John Wilson
• Section 36(2) (c): the ‘catch-all’ provision for FOI requests? – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers

News Items

• Director’s update points to more supportive approach
• FOI is elbowed off the page, says campaign group
• MP pursues proper scrutiny of Cabinet Office FOI hub

Articles

• Let’s talk Records Management: retention and disposal – John Wilson
• Section 43 — application of the commercial interests exemption – Vicki Bowles, VWV
• Recent decisions of the Information Commissioner and Tribunals – John Fitzsimons, Cornerstone Barristers