FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states that it is the duty of all public authorities (including non-departmental public bodies) to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme. The Publication Scheme should contain details of the classes of information that the body publishes or intends to publish and details of any charges for accessing such information.

The Act was designed to promote a culture of openness and accountability amongst public sector bodies by providing people with rights of access to the information held by them. It is intended that by granting rights to access information under publication schemes, people will better understand how public authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do and how they spend public money.

Our Publication Scheme consists of categories of information within which you will find the classes of information that we undertake to make available. It has been approved by the Information Commissioner and ensures that we meet the requirements of the Act.

Most documents in the Scheme are available on the web and can be accessed via a web link. A small number of are only available in hard copy (paper or CD Rom).

These can be accessed by contacting the Freedom of Information Office. A small charge may apply in this instance.