Murphy welcomes the Freedom of Information Act

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy, has welcomed the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000.

Mr Murphy described the Act, which was introduced on 1st January, as “an important step in how people and Government can work together”.

“Freedom of Information is a bold and determined response to allegations of secrecy – a common charge levelled against Government,” the Minister said.

“We have introduced the Act in order to move from a ‘need to know’ to a ‘right to know’ culture and for the first time, there will be a presumption that public bodies should release information to the public unless there is a very good reason for not doing so.”

Mr Murphy stressed, however, that the Act did not equate to “unlimited access to information”.

He said: “For the most part, when considering requests for information, the presumption of public authorities will be in favour of disclosure. However, on occasions, the public interest in withholding the information may outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

“The Act strikes a balance between openness and retention, and exemptions are there for good reason. Without them, effective Government would be impossible.”

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 establishes a general right of access to information held by Public Authorities, and anyone, anywhere in the world, can make a request.

(MB/SP)