Lateral thinking – the Freedom of Information Act 2000

On 1 January 2005 investigators were handed a powerful new tool for prising valuable facts from UK public authorities. In the first part of a two-part article on the Freedom of Information Act 2000 , Jane Colston and Sean Upson of Masseys explore the statute’s potential.

Sean Upson and Jane Colston are partners and Solicitor-Advocates at Masseys LLP and specialise in commercial dispute resolution; www.masseyslaw.co.uk.

“An Act to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services for them and to amend the Data Protection Act 1998…” Preamble to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)