Freedom of Information Act System
Handling the Freedom of Information Act Requests With Workflow Software
Main Points of the Act
A general right of access to information held by public authorities in the course of carrying out their public functions, subject to certain conditions and exemptions;
In most cases where information is exempted from disclosure there is a duty on public authorities to disclose where, in the view of the public authority, the public interest in disclosure outweighs the public interest in maintaining the exemption in question;
A new office of Information Commissioner and a new Information Tribunal, with wide powers to enforce the rights created;
A duty imposed on public authorities to adopt a scheme for the publication of information. The schemes, which must be approved by the Commissioner, will specify the classes of information the authority intends to publish, the manner of publication and whether the information is available to the public free of charge or on payment of a fee.
Overview of a Solution
- streamlines and automates the FoI request process
- tracks time dependant tasks to meet request timeline
- allows tracking and escalation of work
- minimizes risk of lost documentation
- provides a management system for complete & accurate records
- handles correspondence using e-mail and word processing templates
- provides consistency across the organization
- handles data capture and retention
- ensures regulations complied with
- provides detailed management information and Year End Statistical Report
- generates detailed billing and costing reports
- authorisation processes for the publishing of public documents
- allocation of request to relevant officer based on their role
- automated escalation up the management chain
- System can be expanded to cover general complaints or data protection issues