1000 FOI Stories from 2006 and 2007
The Campaign for Freedom of Information 1000 FOI Stories from 2006 and 2007 Introduction This publication summarises more than a thousand press stories published in 2006 and 2007 as a result of disclosures under the UK and Scottish freedom of information laws. The stories demonstrate the enormous range of information being released under FOI. They include significant disclosures about the Iraq conflict, the possible cause of gulf war syndrome, assaults on public service staff, the state of civil service morale, compensation paid to victims of medical accidents, schoolsʼ efforts to inflate their exam results, hospital techniques for deflating waiting lists, the universities teetering on the edge of financial collapse, police officers with criminal records, government efforts to encourage gambling, lobbying by multinational oil, pharmaceutical and food companies, nuclear safety and other hazards, crimes committed by offenders on parole, unpublicised prison escapes, the expansion of the national DNA database and innumerable reports about high expenses claims and dubious public spending. These disclosures throw new light on the governmentʼs approach to many issues, identify shortcomings in public service delivery, highlight other problems which have not been addressed and show where policies have succeeded. They reveal the substantial contribution to accountability made by the FOI Act. The stories are taken from those published in national and regional papers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during 2006 and 2007. The report follows the Campaignʼs earlier report summarising 500 FOI stories published in 2005, the legislationʼs first year (available from www.cfoi.org.uk/pdf/FOIStories2005.pdf). Most of these stories are based on FOI requests made by journalists, though some may be reporting on FOI requests made by other requesters.
[Show full text]