Freedom of Information - FOI fees must be reassessed

The report on the functioning of the Freedom of Information (FOI) during in 2004 suggests the legislation is functioning in a rather lopsided manner.

The purpose of FOI, which came into force in April 1998, was to confer on the public the right to access official information to the greatest extent possible, within the bounds of public interest and the right of others to privacy.

The report states that over 81% of FOI requests were granted “in full or in part”, but that figure did not include requests that were withdrawn, transferred, or dealt with outside FOI.