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05 - Freedom of Information Act

 1. The Freedom of Information Act provides public access to information held by public authorities.
foa1.png

  TRUE

  FALSE

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

  All of these options

   It makes public authorities more accountable

  It breaks down the culture of official secrecy

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

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

  40 working days

  20 working days

  365 working days

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

  only by UK residents or nationals

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

  only by private individuals

  by anyone provided the information is about them

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

  False

  True

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

   Police investigation records relating to a closed arson investigation

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

  Salaries and overtime payments

  Legally privileged information

 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.

  TRUE

  FALSE

 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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  Matters relating to Government departments

  Court records, and information held in relation to court proceedings

  Law enforcement

  Prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs

 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 30 days after the fee is notice is issued

   it must respond to the request as soon as the fee notice is sent to the applicant

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

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

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

  how they can find grounds for refusing the request

  the reasons given for requesting the information

  whether the request is valid

   if the applicant is over 12 years old

 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.

  False

  True

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

  When personal data is in the public interest

  When you pay £20

  When personal data has been requested by a third party

  When data relates to environmental regulations

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

  False

  True

 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


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