In the year 2000, Parliament passed the Freedom of Information Act. The purpose of this piece of legislation, in the words of the Act is “to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities…”
In short, Freedom of Information is about making the decision-making process of government and public bodies, like the Policing Board and District Policing Partnerships more open, transparent and accountable.
There are a number of stages in this process; and the publication of the DPP Publication Scheme is the beginning. The purpose of the Publication Scheme is to let you know what information is readily available from us without you needing to ask us for it. By readily available we mean that the information:
- is available on the NIPB website
- can be obtained from us if you request it by letter, e-mail or telephone call
- can be purchased from us
and ensures that a significant amount of information on the work of the District Policing Partnerships is available to you. You can follow the links on this site to your local DPP Publication Scheme, or go to your local library who should have a copy.
In Part One of the Publication Scheme you will find information on the specific District Policing Partnership.
Part Two of the Publication Scheme sets out the classes, or types of information, that the DPP publish or intend to publish – there are 12 of them.
In Part Three you will find a list of publications which supports the Publication
Scheme. This section lists specific publications that are routinely made available to the public, all publications (Annual Reports, Surveys, Policing Plans), news releases and publicity material for example.
From 1 January 2005, subject to certain legal exemptions, the Freedom of Information Act will give you a right of access to recorded information held by public authorities. This will be known as the Individual Right of Access. For more information on Freedom of Information visit the Information Commissioners website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
The Act applies to the vast majority of public authorities, including the District Policing Partnerships and when the Act comes fully into force on 1 January 2005, if you ask us for information we will be required to:
- Let you know in writing whether we hold the information you have asked for; and
- If we do, provide the information to you within 20 working days, unless it is subject to an exemption.
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