Martin Stabe » Information Tribunal

BBC News: Open Secrets: FOI may break lobbying secrecy

Martin Stabe — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:28:27 +0000

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

TheyWorkForYou.com: Written Ministerial Statements: Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (18 February 2008)

Martin Stabe — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:07:26 +0000

David Miliband: "In accordance with the Information Tribunal's decision of 22 January 2008, I have today released what has been described as John Williams' draft of the September 2002 Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier."

Independent: Freedom Of Information: Government’s refusal to disclose legal advice challenged in court

Martin Stabe — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:38:56 +0000

"Lawyers have long argued that there is absolute protection against the publication of legally privileged advice. Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, finds a case which challenges this"

BBC News: Data row hits mobile mast website

Martin Stabe — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:09:30 +0000

"The future of [Ofcom's Sitefinder website] which details all the mobile phone masts in the UK is in doubt following a row over divulging "commercially sensitive" information." (Cough. Scrape! Cough.)

Out-Law.com: Dead woman’s medical records case could undermine FOI law, says expert

Martin Stabe — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:02:05 +0000

"A dead woman's medical records should not be released because a duty of confidentiality survives her death, the Information Tribunal has ruled. ..."

IMPACT®: The Information Tribunal: up to its neck in appeals

Martin Stabe — Wed, 23 May 2007 22:54:47 +0000

"A quick look at the Tribunal's decisions page supports the impression of an increased amount of decisions being made. ... Despite this increase in decisions, a backlog in pending appeals has developed."

The Register: Tribunal forces opening up of ID card ‘gateway’ docs

Martin Stabe — Fri, 04 May 2007 12:42:21 +0000

"The Information Tribunal has forced the disclosure of strategic reviews of the identity cards system by the Office of Government Commerce, which opposed the disclosure of the information."

Open Secrets: Judge overrules Tribunal on Balen

Martin Stabe — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:02:14 +0000

Martin Rosenbaum clears up some of the dodgy reporting on the Balen Report ruling: "This does not affect the Trbunal's ability to overrule the Commissioner on most issues, just on whether information comes under the derogations which apply to the BBC ..."

How the FOI (Amendment) Bill slipped through

Martin Stabe — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:09:09 +0000

The Guardian’s David Hencke today looks at how the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill slipped through its second reading unopposed in the House of Commons:

On the day Westminster was convulsed by the revelations surrounding the dawn arrest of Ruth Turner, the senior Downing Street aide, in the cash-for-honours investigation, MPs approved on the nod the second reading of a bill to exclude parliament from the Freedom of Information Act.

…

David Maclean, the former Tory chief whip, introduced the measure in a private member’s bill. …
He acknowledged the effect of the bill would be to exempt parliament from the act at a time when the parliamentary authorities have lost a case at an information tribunal after trying to block more detailed disclosure of MPs’ expenses.

When it was put to him that he had chosen the very end of a busy parliamentary day to get a second reading, he said: “I am showing some of the younger hands how you can get a bill through parliament after long experience as a whip in both getting and blocking bills through parliament.”

Hencke’s report also notes that because it is a private member’s bill, Maclean will be allowed to chose the members of the committee that scrutinises his bill. There are also the first hints of opposition, from Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who recently won a Information Tribunal case against the House of Commons in order to force the release of MPs’ expenses.