Access to Council Information

Exemptions to Information which must be supplied on request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

INTRODUCTION

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, there are a few exemptions which may mean we are not able to disclose the information you have requested. This page lists these exemptions and explains them further where necessary.

Public Interest Test:

Some of the exemptions require confirmation by way of what is known as the Public Interest Test. This test requires that we consider whether or not it is in the public interest to have that information even though an exemption may apply. If it is in the public interest to release the information then we shall do exactly that.

Below are listed some key exemptions for Local Government. (If you are interested in the full details all of the exemptions, you should consult the full text of the act and go to section 21 onwards.)

Absolute Exemptions – public interest test does not apply:

Information accessible by other means (e.g. in the Publication Scheme)*
Court records
Parliamentary privilege
Personal information – available under Data Protection Act
Information provided in confidence
Info prohibited by or under any enactment; info incompatible with any community obligation; info which could be in contempt of court

* N.B. this link is to a file in Adobe Acrobat format (pdf). You may need to download some free reader software in order to view it.
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Non-absolute Exemptions – public interest test does apply:

Information intended for future publication
Investigations & proceedings conducted by public authorities
Law enforcement
Health & safety
Environmental information – available under Environmental Information Regulations
Legal professional privilege
Commercial interests

There are some other exemptions but these, in general, apply to central government bodies.

Main Freedom of Information page