UK Act of Parliament
2000
United Kingdom
Freedom of Information Act 2000
At a glance
Enforced by
What this Act requires
Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.
Schedules
Browse 166 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
The Sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple or the Under-Treasurer of...
The Council of the Isles of Scilly.
A parish meeting constituted under section 13 of the Local...
Any charter trustees constituted under section 246 of the Local...
A fire and rescue authority constituted by a scheme under...
A fire and rescue authority created by an order under...
A waste disposal authority established by virtue of an order...
Local government
A port health authority constituted by an order under section...
Local government
An internal drainage board which is continued in being by...
A joint authority established under Part IV of the Local...
An economic prosperity board established under section 88 of the...
A combined authority established under section 103 of that Act....
A combined county authority established under section 9(1) of the...
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills,...
The Competition and Markets Authority, in respect of information held...
The House of Commons , in respect of information other...
The London Fire Commissioner.
A joint fire authority established by virtue of an order...
A body corporate established pursuant to an order under section...
A body corporate established pursuant to an order under section...
The Broads Authority established by section 1 of the Norfolk...
A joint committee constituted in accordance with section 102(1)(b) of...
A joint board which is continued in being by virtue...
A joint authority established under section 21 of the Local...
A Passenger Transport Executive for an integrated transport area for...
A sub-national transport body established under section 102E of the...
Transport for London.
The House of Lords , in respect of information other...
The London Transport Users Committee.
A joint board the constituent members of which consist of...
A National Park authority established by an order under section...
A joint planning board constituted for an area in Wales...
A strategic planning panel established under section 60D of the...
Local government
Local government
Local government
An inshore fisheries and conservation authority for a district established...
An urban development corporation established under section 135 of the...
A Mayoral development corporation established under section 198 of the...
A Local Healthwatch organisation, in respect of information held in...
A corporate joint committee established by regulations under Part 5...
A district council within the meaning of the Local Government...
The National Health Service
The National Health Service
NHS England .
An integrated care board established under section 14Z25 of the...
A special health authority established under section 28 of the...
The National Health Service
A Local Health Board established under section 11 of the...
The Northern Ireland Assembly.
A National Health Service trust established under section 25 of...
An NHS foundation trust.
A Community Health Council established under section 182 of the...
The National Health Service
The National Health Service
The National Health Service
Any person providing primary medical services , primary dental services...
Any person providing general medical services, general dental services, general...
Any person providing personal medical services or personal dental services...
Any person providing local pharmaceutical services under—
The National Health Service
A Health and Social Services Board established under Article 16...
A Health and Social Services Council established under Article 4...
A Health and Social Care trust established under Article 10...
A special agency established under Article 3 of the Health...
The National Assembly for Wales, in respect of information other...
The Northern Ireland Central Services Agency for the Health and...
Any person providing primary medical services, general dental services, general...
The Regional Business Services Organisation established under section 14 of...
The Patient and Client Council established under section 16 of...
The Regional Health and Social Care Board established under section...
The Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being established...
The governing body of— (a) a maintained school, as defined...
(1) The proprietor of an Academy, in respect of information...
(1) The governing body of— (a) an institution within the...
(1) The managers of— (a) a controlled school, voluntary school...
(1) The governing body of— (a) a university receiving financial...
Any person providing further education to whom grants, loans or...
A police and crime commissioner.
The Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime.
A chief officer of police of a police force in...
the Welsh Assembly Government.
The armed forces of the Crown, except—
The Northern Ireland Policing Board.
The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland....
The British Transport Police.
The Ministry of Defence Police established by section 1 of...
The Civil Nuclear Police Authority.
The chief constable of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
Any person who— (a) by virtue of any enactment has...
A local authority within the meaning of the Local Government...
The Greater London Authority.
The Common Council of the City of London, in respect...
(1) Any reference in any enactment, instrument or document to...
In paragraph 14 of Part I of Schedule 1 to...
In Schedule 5 to the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act...
In Schedule 7 to that Act (retirement dates: transitional provisions),...
(1) Section 6 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the...
In section 70(1) of that Act (supplementary definitions)—
(1) Schedule 5 to that Act (the Data Protection Commissioner...
In section 6(6) of the Data Protection Act 1998 (lay...
In section 26(2) of that Act (fees regulations), in paragraph...
In section 58 of that Act (disclosure of information to...
(1) Section 59 of that Act (confidentiality of information) is...
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills,...
(1) Any reference in this Act or in any instrument...
(1) Paragraph 4 of Schedule 5 to that Act (officers...
(1) Paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 to that Act (exercise...
In paragraph 9(1) of Schedule 5 to that Act (money)...
(1) In Part II of the Table in paragraph 3...
In Schedule 2 to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (departments...
In Schedule 4 to that Act (tribunals exercising administrative functions),...
In Schedule 1 to the Superannuation Act 1972 (employment with...
In section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (correction...
(1) In Part II of Schedule 1 to the House...
(1) In Part II of Schedule 1 to the Northern...
(1) If a circuit judge or a District Judge (Magistrates'...
If the person in occupation of any premises in respect...
A warrant issued under this Schedule shall be returned to...
Any person who— (a) intentionally obstructs a person in the...
In this Schedule “premises” includes any vessel, vehicle, aircraft or...
In the application of this Schedule to Scotland—
In the application of this Schedule to Northern Ireland—
(1) A judge shall not issue a warrant under this...
A judge who issues a warrant under this Schedule shall...
A person executing a warrant issued under this Schedule may...
A warrant issued under this Schedule shall be executed at...
(1) If the premises in respect of which a warrant...
(1) A person seizing anything in pursuance of a warrant...
The powers of inspection and seizure conferred by a warrant...
(1) Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, the powers...
In paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 6 to the Data Protection...
For paragraph 3 of that Schedule there is substituted—
(1) Paragraph 4 of that Schedule (constitution of Tribunal in...
(1) Paragraph 7 of that Schedule (rules of procedure) is...
In section 1 of the Public Records Act 1958 (general...
(1) Section 5 of that Act (access to public records)...
Schedule 2 of that Act (enactments prohibiting disclosure of information...
In Schedule 1 to that Act (definition of public records)...
After section 5 of the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland)...
In section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (right...
After section 35 of that Act there is inserted— Parliamentary...
After section 63 of that Act there is inserted— Application...
In Schedule 2 to that Act (conditions relevant for the...
In Schedule 3 to that Act (conditions relevant for the...
In Schedule 7 to that Act (miscellaneous exemptions) in paragraph...
In paragraph 10 of that Schedule (legal professional privilege), for...
In Schedule 14 to that Act (transitional provisions), in paragraph...
At the end of section 11 of the Parliamentary Commissioner...
After that Article there is inserted— Disclosure of information to...
At the end of Article 19 of the Ombudsman (Northern...
After that Article there is inserted— Disclosure of information to...
In section 30 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975...
After section 11A of that Act there is inserted— Disclosure...
In section 32 of the Local Government Act 1974 (law...
After section 33 of that Act there is inserted— Disclosure...
At the end of section 15 of the Health Service...
After section 18 of that Act there is inserted— Disclosure...
In Schedule 9 to the Government of Wales Act 1998...
After paragraph 27 of that Schedule there is inserted— Disclosure...
At the end of Article 21 of the Commissioner for...
An advisory committee established under paragraph 25 of the Health...
The Adjudication Panel for Wales. ... The adjudicators appointed under...
Browse 94 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
General right of access to information held by public authorities.
Effect of the exemptions in Part II.
Public authorities.
Amendment of Schedule 1.
Further power to designate public authorities.
Publicly-owned companies.
Public authorities to which Act has limited application.
Request for information.
Fees.
Time for compliance with request.
Means by which communication to be made.
Release of datasets for re-use
Power to charge fees in relation to release of datasets for re-use
Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.
Fees for disclosure where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.
Vexatious or repeated requests.
Special provisions relating to public records transferred to Public Record Office,
Duty to provide advice and assistance.
Refusal of request.
The Information Commissioner . . .
Publication schemes.
Model publication schemes.
Information accessible to applicant by other means.
Information intended for future publication.
Research
Information supplied by, or relating to, bodies dealing with security matters.
National security.
Certificates under ss. 23 and 24: supplementary provisions.
Defence.
International relations.
Relations within the United Kingdom.
The economy.
Investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities.
Law enforcement.
Court records, etc.
Audit functions.
Parliamentary privilege.
Formulation of government policy, etc.
Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs.
Communications with Her Majesty, etc. and honours.
Health and safety.
Environmental information.
Personal information.
Information provided in confidence.
Legal professional privilege.
Commercial interests.
Prohibitions on disclosure.
Issue of code of practice by the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Issue of code of practice by Secretary of State.
General functions of Commissioner.
Recommendations as to good practice.
Reports to be laid before Parliament.
Application for decision by Commissioner.
Information notices.
Enforcement notices.
Exception from duty to comply with decision notice or enforcement notice.
Failure to comply with notice.
Powers of entry and inspection.
No action against public authority.
Appeal against notices served under Part IV.
Determination of appeals.
Appeals from decision of Tribunal.
Appeals against national security certificate.
Appeal proceedings
Interpretation of Part VI.
Removal of exemptions: historical records generally.
Removal of exemptions: historical records in public record offices.
Decisions as to refusal of discretionary disclosure of historical records.
Decisions relating to certain transferred public records.
Amendments of public records legislation.
Extension of meaning of “data”.
Right of access to unstructured personal data held by public authorities.
Exemptions applicable to certain manual data held by public authorities.
Particulars registrable under Part III of Data Protection Act 1998.
Availability under Act disregarded for purpose of exemption.
Further amendments of Data Protection Act 1998.
Power to make provision relating to environmental information.
Power to amend or repeal enactments prohibiting disclosure of information.
Disclosure of information between Commissioner and ombudsmen.
Disclosure between Commissioner and Scottish Information Commissioner
Disclosure of information to Tribunal
Offence of altering etc. records with intent to prevent disclosure.
Saving for existing powers.
Defamation.
Scotland.
Information held by Northern Ireland bodies
Application to government departments, etc.
Orders and regulations.
Meaning of “Welsh public authority”.
Interpretation.
Expenses.
Repeals.
Commencement.
Short title and extent.
Enforcement and responsible bodies
The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.
Information Commissioner's Office
Data protection, freedom of information, privacy and electronic communications regulation. Enforces UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. Issues fines for breaches. …
Connected legislation
3 statutory instruments
These instruments amend, apply, or refer to this Act. They may not all create direct business obligations.
Secondary legislation (3)
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Regulators
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