Abstract

Overstretched professionals in every public authority are grappling with the chalkface implications of a raft of legislation relating to information use. This is the first book to offer a single point of reference and advice, which can be understood by the non-legal professional. The requirements of the relevant legislation are set out together with examples, flow-charts, and diagrams to illustrate and clarify how to apply the law in practice. This indispensable guide is a one-stop shop for all you need to know about information rights law, using relevant case studies to clarify and illuminate these tricky issues.Contents include: Data Protection Act 1998 - definitions of personal data; scope of the Act; the principles; access to personal data and data sharing; and, Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 - scope of the Acts; applications of exemptions/exceptions; public interest tests, publication schemes; and, disclosure logs and records management.It also includes: Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; Human Rights Act 1998; Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005; other non-information rights-related legislation; interaction of legislation; and, requests for information. A must-have for anyone working with information rights in public authorities and the private sector, this book is also a useful reference point for legal advisers, academics andstudents of information rights, as well as media professionals wanting to learn and understand how public authorities approach requests for information and the surrounding procedures.
"A useful addition to the portfolio of must have by the desk publications. An excellent reference manual packed full of useful comment and references. I have already referred to it more than once." - Records Management Society Journal
"In summary, this is a handy overview of a number of pieces of legislation in the information rights field. Written in accessible plain English, and brought to life by practical examples, it is likely to prove useful to its targeted audience." - Freedom of Information Journal
Alan Stead is an experienced practitioner in information rights, having managed a team at a unitary authority, and now runs his own training organization. He is an external examiner in an LLM in Information Rights, chairs the National Association for Information Management and is a member of a number of government consultation groups.