Information Commissioner Cracks Down on Public Bodies for FOI Failures

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has taken action against five public bodies for failing to adequately meet the standards required to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests. These public bodies include Liverpool City Council, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, the Ministry of Defence and the Environment Agency. Warren Seddon, Director of FOI & Transparency at the ICO made clear that while leaders in all public authorities should ensure their organisations comply with the law and respond to FOI requests effectively, the ICO will not hesitate to enforce measures when necessary. This is part of the ICO’s larger effort to uphold people’s right to access public information, which has seen an increase in action taken since a year ago.