Freedom of Information proposal

[Garrick]

The Government wants to increase the cost of FOI requests from £10 to £600. I can't see this as anything other than an attempt to strengthen secrecy around government dealings that affect us all. (Plus, people use them to fish out useful info like this [[http://www.citymetric.com/transport/tfl-produce-geographically-accurate-tube-and-rail-map-dont-tell-anyone-about-it-1402 geographically accurate Tube map!)

It was a ‘Freedom of Information’ (FOI) request that exposed the MPs’ expenses scandal. And it was another FOI request which exposed that a third of NHS contracts were being handed-out to private companies. FOI requests are critical for many of the campaigns that improve our society.

Newspapers and several Conservative MPs have already spoken out against the plans.

I'm quite fed up with the way democratic rights are being restricted to better-off members of society; the changes to Legal Aid were a shocking example, and this is too.

Middle two paragraphs borrowed from 38degrees. Petition here, if you want to protest.

All they have to do is stubbornly refuse disclosure, as frequently happens, then ensure the applicant is subjected to a fee they can't afford

But the applicant will only face the fee if, as in Mike Sivier's case, the ICO finds against them and they want to take the matter further. If a government department stubbornly refuses disclosure and the ICO finds against the department the applicant is not subjected to any fee.

Ah, is that so? Thanks. So Sivier wouldn't have had to pay? :)