Freedom of Information Act will take effect 2005

Legislation which allows for freedom of information in Northern Ireland will not be fully implemented until 2005 Stormont officials have said.

James Leslie and Denis Haughey, Ministers in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, who are chairing a cross departmental group to oversee the changes to the law, said the delay was in place due to the enormous amount of work that had to be done.

Speaking at a seminar in Belfast which was organised to explain the importance of the Freedom Of Information Act Mr Leslie said: “Full implementation of the Act will not be completed until January 2005. We are aware that some may see this as a long way off and feel no need to rush. However, it is clear to us that there is an enormous amount of work which has to be done to implement the Act.

“The Act applies to a wide range of public authorities in Northern Ireland and it is good to see a broad cross-section represented here today. I know that many public authorities are aware of their responsibilities, but I could not stress strongly enough the need to take action now to ensure that you meet your obligations under the Act.”

Mr Haughey said: “The introduction of the Freedom of Information Act will mean a real culture change for the organisations we lead. We must welcome the scrutiny that the Freedom of Information Act will provide. Government must be transparent and accountable. As we mature as an Administration and increasingly develop social policies for the good of all the people in Northern Ireland we must expect to be increasingly accountable for what we do.”

The main feature of the Freedom of Information Act is the right to be told whether information is held by a public authority, and a right to have that information supplied to you upon request, subject to certain discretionary exemptions.

The Freedom of Information Act will apply to a wide range of public authorities, including central and local Government, Parliament, The Northern Ireland Assembly, the National Assembly for Wales, the police, hospitals, GPs and Dentists, schools, publicly funded museums and thousands of other public authorities.

(AMcE)