The Scottish Government has announced that all information released in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests will be published online from 3 July 2017, in line with a commitment to open and transparent government.
Information released in response to FOI requests will be made available on https://beta.gov.scot as requests are answered, allowing anyone to search and access this information.
Just the other week The Ferret reported that Scottish Ministers were being criticised for the delays in replying to FOI requests. 23 journalists signed a joint letter sent to The Scottish Government warning that ministers’ commitment to openness and transparency were ‘under great doubt’.
Parliamentary Business Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “We are proud of our record on openness and transparency, with the most far-reaching freedom of information laws in the UK and international recognition for our commitment to citizen participation. We are committed to improving our FOI response times despite the steady increase in requests.
“We are always looking for opportunities to release more information proactively. We have listened to some of the comments in response to our recent FOI performance and, as part of improving this, we will ensure that information released under FOI legislation is published online so it is publicly available.
“Publishing information released in response to FOI requests will give people greater access to our information – making it easier for anyone interested in FOI and the data we release to find it on our website.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
