Freedom Of Information Act

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 received Royal Assent on 30 November 2000. It establishes a general right of access to information held by public authorities subject to certain exemptions.

Full access rights came into force in January 2005, with publication schemes being phased in on a sector by sector basis, starting with central government in November 2002.

A copy of the NIO Publication Scheme is available for download.