Audit Commission Freedom of Information Policy
From 1 January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoIA) gives people the right to
request information from all public authorities. The government aims to promote a culture of
openness among public sector bodies and facilitate better understanding of how public
authorities carry out their duties. The Act is an integral part of the government's plans to
promote open government.
This policy sets out the Audit Commission's commitment to comply with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and with government policy to move towards more open government. It
aims to clarify the principles that underpin the Audit Commission's approach and details how to
make a request for information. Any conditions that may apply are published on our website.
Key principles of the Audit Commission approach to the Freedom of Information Act
Notwithstanding the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Audit
Commission is committed to the following principles:
- openness in its publications, unless legal or public interest reasons mean this is not
possible;
- presenting its business in clear language that will, where possible, take account of
people's different needs;
- using the internet as the primary means of publishing Audit Commission information;
- providing a prompt and comprehensive response to requests for information;
- providing a right of complaint where a member of the public is not satisfied with the
response received; and
- providing the information free of charge where possible.
Our commitment to requests for information
The Audit Commission will, as far as is reasonable and possible, provide applicants and potential applicants with advice and assistance in their requests for information.
Fees policy
This document sets out Audit Commission policy on the payment of fees for Freedom of Information Act requests.
Local Services Inspectorate Forum Information Management Policy
A protocol has been developed as a general framework to promote consistency of approach to information management by those inspectorates who need to share information about Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for the effective operation of their functions. They include the Audit Commission, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission, Her Majesty's Inspectorates of Constabulary and Probation, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate and the Adult Learning Inspectorate:
Local Services Inspectorate Forum Information Management Policy (external link) |
