The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives anyone the right to access information held by public authorities.  Subject to certain conditions and exemptions set out in the Act, an applicant has the right to make a request for information and usually must be informed in writing by the public authority whether or not it holds the information; and have the requested information communicated to them (subject to the exemptions).  Additionally the Act puts a duty on the public authority to adopt and maintain a publication scheme.

 The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give members of the public the right to access environmental information held by public authorities.  Information such as emissions, human health and safety and the state of the elements (water, air, soil, land and fauna) can be accessed under Environmental Information Regulations.  The release of information can be subject to certain conditions and exceptions. 

The Practice Manager is the lead for Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). 

In case of request, the individual making the application should speak to the Practice Manager. On receipt of a valid written request from the individual (giving clear reason for the request) then a Subject Access Request Form should be completed.