Freedom of Information (FOI) Act

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) has created significant new rights of access to recorded information held by public authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Freedom of Information Act takes a major step forward in terms of openness and accountability and is part of a wider group of policies. It is expected that these rights will facilitate better public understanding of how public authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do and how they spend public money.

The Freedom of Information Act has been implemented in two parts:

February 2003 – Ashfield Homes Limited (AHL) was required to have a Publication Scheme. The Publication Scheme details all of the information that is regularly published by AHL. The Publication Scheme shows where the information is located, in what format the information is published and whether there is a charge for providing the information.

January 2005 - A member of the public has the right to request information held by the Company. Under this Act, AHL must respect:

• The right of an individual to be told, in writing, whether specified information is held by the public authority.
• The right to receive that information if no exemptions apply and provided that the correct fee (if any) is paid.