Freedom of Information

“The ministerial code says all kinds of things about what should happen…”

Pete Baker on October 11, 2018, 1:49 pm | Readers 784

A couple of quick points to note from the Renewal Heat Inquiry today, where senior civil servant Andrew McCormick has been giving evidence about the lack of minute taking within Northern Ireland Executive departments. From the BBC report On Thursday, the inquiry was told that a key meeting in August 2015, where a decision was taken to delay cost controls to the RHI scheme, had not been formally minuted. Mr McCormick said that was not unusual, as part of the …

“A feature of the devolved administration here has been that the two main parties have been sensitive to criticism…”

Pete Baker on March 14, 2018, 3:03 pm | Readers 1358

The BBC reported a telling admission from the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, David Sterling, during the RHI Inquiry yesterday. Mr Sterling said the practice of taking minutes had “lapsed” after devolution when engagement between civil servants and local ministers became much more regular. But he said it was also an attempt to frustrate Freedom of Information requests. Mr Sterling said ministers liked to have a “safe space where they could think the unthinkable and not necessarily have …

Prince of Wales welcomed the prospect of “a Northern Ireland Prime (sic) Cymru!”

Brian Walker on May 14, 2015, 11:54 am | Readers 1208

So Northern Ireland had a look-in in the Prince of Wales” black spider” letters. This in a bread and butter letter to the then secretary of state Paul Murphy. We discussed the issue of an Action-Learning Pilot Scheme which has remained in abeyance since last year, but which, if implemented, could help perhaps break the mould of housing “ghettoes” in Northern Ireland. You may remember that both Paul Murrain, from my Foundation, and John Thompson are ready to help with …

“the electoral prospects of individuals are not strictly a relevant factor when weighing the public interest in the disclosure of information…”

Pete Baker on April 2, 2014, 3:29 pm | Readers 92

Another week, another ruling by the Information Commissioner that the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers acted against the public interest in refusing to disclose information in response to a FoI request. The request, from the News Letter, was for disclosure of OFMDFM’s corporate risk register – a list of the issues “causing concern” within OFMDFM. As the News Letter report notes of the commissioner’s decision …the Information Commissioner, the watchdog which enforces the open government law, has dismissed …

OFMDFM: “open and transparent…” – redux

Pete Baker on March 29, 2014, 4:44 pm | Readers 51

Via The Irish News. As UUP leader Mike Nesbitt says, “We’re not North Korea…” [Thankfully… – Ed] ANYhoo… The UUP leader has welcomed a recent (27 March) decision by the Information Commissioner (not yet online) that the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers were wrong to refuse to release the results of market research, that they had commissioned, into the proposed Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Centre (PbCRC) at the site of the old Maze Prison. From the UUP press …

OFMDFM’s sluggardly FOI performance under spotlight

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on December 21, 2012, 2:35 pm | Readers 86

This morning the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced four public bodies which will be monitored between January and March in 2013 “over concerns about the timeliness of their responses to Freedom of Information requests”. The four public bodies were selected from the thousands of public bodies across the UK that fall under the ICO’s remit for FOI: Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council; two Westminster departments, Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions; and the Office of the First Minister and …

“it is in the public interest to know the type of information that the Ministers were taking into account”

Pete Baker on July 14, 2012, 8:29 pm | Readers 40

Here’s a little referendum related snippet from Scotland. The Scottish government is reportedly “surprised” at a recent ruling by the country’s Freedom of Information Commissioner. In response to a request by Labour MEP Catherine Stihler on 30 May last year, the Scottish government had refused to confirm or deny whether it had received legal advice on the status of an independent Scotland within the EU. They had cited section 18(1) of the FOI Act. As the Information Commissioner’s press statement notes This allows …

Information needs political advocates to make it free…

Mick Fealty on July 5, 2012, 3:01 pm | Readers 43

We hear a lot about the great value of FOI’s. And there have been some great instances it has brought a lot of telling detail to light. But most of the time you really need to know exactly what you are looking for, often right down to the time of day the subject line, etc. More often however just heavy negotiation required to unlock the complex mechanism endows the discovered information with a heightened meaning it may not deserve in …

“…involved in criminal activity of any sort within G District from July 1, 2010 to July 28, 2011”

Pete Baker on April 20, 2012, 2:53 pm | Readers 37

Given the PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggot’s current concern about certain communities, and confidence, here’s a Londonderry Sentinel report that may be of relevance. It relates to an incident in the city in August 2010 which, at the time, was blamed on dissenting republicans. From the Sentinel report At the time locals said that around 20 masked men appeared in the Campion Court area having disembarked from a white van. They began to remove materials intended for use at a bonfire …

“Surely it can only strengthen our democracy…”

Pete Baker on January 9, 2011, 2:05 pm | Readers 5

The Guardian report on the UK government’s declared intent to extend Freedom of Information laws includes this quote from Hugh Orde. The Acpo president, Sir Hugh Orde, welcomed the proposals. He said: “Any organisation that operates as part of a key public service should be accountable and open to public scrutiny. “The Association of Chief Police Officers has been asking to be included under the act and welcomes the extension of authorities that it offers.” They also intend to enact …

#picamp – FOI and Data

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on November 20, 2010, 10:26 pm | Readers 6

There was a good discussion this morning at PI Camp around the conjoined issues of FOI and open data. The room had practitioners from both sides of the FOI fence – civil servants, journalists and bloggers. The idea for the session came out of my belief that FOI is often a crude tool that can produce more heat than light, and tends to encourage institutional obfuscation rather than a spirit of openness and sharing. So how best to use FOI …

NI Fahrenheit 45 101 – Fire Service seek to burn a blog

Blank on September 21, 2010, 10:44 pm | Readers 6

“I just want someone to hear what I have to say. And maybe if I talk long enough, it’ll make sense.” I didn’t expect to return to my costing 11th bonfires blog series until a final entry bringing together all the drains on the public purse. However I’m forced to revist the topic today as the first entry in the series attracted an unexpected response from the Freedom of Information Co-Ordinator [sic] at the NI Fire and Rescue Service. I …

Are the Irish people prepared to hold government to account?

Mick Fealty on May 25, 2010, 3:58 pm | Readers 1

I’m not sure citing cases of media proprietors backing the losers and then commending them as an exemplar was the most inspiring start to Elaine Byrne’s Op Ed today, but in the end, she asks for greater transparency from a political class which is (past as well as present) still reluctant to ante up its dues. In the same paper, Fintan O’Toole notes that the Irish appetite for policing the probity of its politicians has been short lived in the …