Module 17 2024

05/12/2024

• Use of the Freedom of Information Act 2005

• Various scandals have been uncovered as a result of the application of FOI requests: – MP’s expenses – the scandal that erupted in May 2009 led to prison terms for five labour MPs and two Conservative peers, repayments of significant sums, and a reputational nightmare for Parliament. It was exposed as a direct result of a series of FOI requests, asking for details of the expenses. – Unanswered 101 (police) calls – A&E ambulance delays • ICO report in 2021 severely criticised UK Government’s “unacceptable” FOI failures

• https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-information/british government-slammed-by-regulator-over-unacceptable-foi-failures/

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• Transparency

• Transparency is a core principle of data protection – data subjects have the right to know which of their personal data are collected, used, consulted or otherwise processed and to what extent the personal data will be processed • Transparency is also generally considered a main pillar of good corporate governance – the actions of an organisation should be scrupulous enough to bear public scrutiny

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