"MPs have been granted a vote on whether they should be allowed to keep their home addresses secret to protect their privacy and security."

"Restaurants run by some of Britain’s largest food chains are failing to meet basic legal hygiene standards … The Independent analysed the star rating of 1,270 outlets run by 10 of Britain’s best-known restaurant chains."

"The Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, has written to all chief executives of local authorities, NHS trusts, police agencies and thousands of other organisations, urging them to disclose a range of information "as a matter of routine"."

James Ball: "People who spend time and money fighting to get important documents released under the Freedom of Information Act deserve their scoops"

"All that the High Court did last week was rule that once an Act has been passed, MPs can’t exempt themselves from it. They must comply with the Freedom of Information Act however embarrassing that is for them."

Heather Brooke on winning her FOI case: "It’s not right that a citizen is forced to fight so hard for such a basic level of democratic accountability from our elected representatives."

A new site that compiles public record data about crime and anti-social behaviour at particular locations - for a fee. Targeted at house buyers, but would obviously be a good hyperlocal news product as well.

Martin Rosenbaum: "it looks like we are going to find out more about this, following an important decision issued today by the Information Tribunal."

FOI fees blamed as requests in Ireland drop sharply in two years.

Charles Arthur: "The task is simply this: find out how much your local council is paying to the Ordnance Survey (OS), Britain’s mapping agency, for its mapping services. All it takes is a little FOIA request"

Revealed: the stories they didn’t want to tell.

Martin Rosenbaum: "My colleague Nicola Beckford will be doing a regular ‘freedom of information slot’ on BBC Radio 5Live’s new investigative journalism programme, presented by Donal Macintyre."

"Courts, lawyers and states are increasingly treating … text messages [sent by public officials] as public documents subject to the same disclosure laws — including the federal Freedom of Information Act — that apply to e-mails and paper records." (

The House of Commons has released the so-called "John Lewis list", which finance officials use to approve or reject MPs’ expenses claims.