Government FoI failure 'concerning'

Mar 18 2013

The Scottish Government's failure to comply with its legal requirement to make information public is a cause for concern, the freedom of information watchdog has said.

Information Commissioner Rosemary Agnew criticised Scottish ministers for failing to respond to requests from journalists.

One request from the Mail on Sunday newspaper has gone unanswered for over four months without explanation, while another from the Sunday Herald was "mislaid" for three months.

Ministers failed to comply with their legal requirement to respond in 20 days in both cases.

The Mail on Sunday ruling stated: "Given the time which has elapsed since the requirement for review, she views with some concern the ministers' inability to confirm compliance, or a projected date for compliance, at the time of this decision."

The Herald ruling stated: "As the ministers did not provide a response to (Sunday Herald reporter) Tom Gordon's requirement for review within 20 working days, the commissioner finds that they failed to comply.

"She notes that in their response to Mr Gordon's requirement for review, they apologise for the delay in responding and explained that his request was mislaid after it was received."