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05 - Freedom of Information Act

 1. The Freedom of Information Act provides public access to information held by public authorities.
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  FALSE

  TRUE

 2. What were some of the reasons for the Freedom of Information Act?

   It makes public authorities more accountable

  Everyone should have a right to the wealth of information held by public authorities

  All of these options

  It breaks down the culture of official secrecy

 3. What is the statutory timescale for answering a request?
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  365 working days

  40 working days

  200 working days

  20 working days

 4. Complete the sentence below.
Requests for information under the Act can be made ...

  anyone - there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live

  by anyone provided the information is about them

  only by private individuals

  only by UK residents or nationals

 5. A Freedom of Information request must always be in writing.

  True

  False

 6. Under the Freedom of Information Act, which of the following is off limits?

  Salaries and overtime payments

  Legally privileged information

  Correspondence sent by or received through a government e-mail address

   Police investigation records relating to a closed arson investigation

 7. When a Freedom of Information request is made, an agency must provide the records or documents along with a detailed explanation of the information within the records.

  FALSE

  TRUE

 8. There are 23 exemptions from the UK Freedom of Information Act. Which of these options is not one of them?
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  Law enforcement

  Court records, and information held in relation to court proceedings

  Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs

  Matters relating to Government departments

 9. When a person makes a Freedom of Information request, an agency must provide copies of the documents or records at no cost to the person making the request.

  FALSE

  TRUE

 10. Complete the sentence below.
If a public authority requests a fee ...
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   it must respond to the request as soon as the fee notice is sent to the applicant

   it must respond to the request within 7 days of the fee notice being sent

   it must respond to the request 30 days after the fee is notice is issued

  it does not have to respond to the request until the fee is paid

 11. Complete the sentence below.
When determining a request, a public authority must 
consider...

  whether the request is valid

  how they can find grounds for refusing the request

   if the applicant is over 12 years old

  the reasons given for requesting the information

 12. If a requested document contains a portion of information that is considered exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, the entire request can be denied.

  True

  False

 13. When does the Freedom of Information Act override the Data Protection Act?

  When data relates to environmental regulations

  When you pay £20

  When personal data is in the public interest

  When personal data has been requested by a third party

 14. If information is not already posted on a Government website, it does not have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.

  True

  False

 15. If one person asks for the same information more than once, it still has to be provided again under the Freedom of Information Act.

  True

  False