This one-day programme is for Freedom of Information Internal Reviewers charged with reviewing decisions made by FOI Decision Makers in accordance with Freedom of Information Act 2014 should the requester seek a review. This course is an advanced programme that has been designed specifically for experienced Internal Reviewers in FOI bodies, with particular reference to the Civil Service, Local Authorities and the Health Sector. It will address at an advanced level :-
- the role of the Internal Reviewer;
- the key ingredients of internal review decisions;
- interaction with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) in the case of external reviews;
- the essential requirements of submissions to the OIC aimed at justifying the decision of a FOI body to refuse access to records.
The key exemptions will be examined in detail together with recent Guidelines from the OIC on the exemptions in question. A number of recent relevant OIC decisions appropriate to those attending will be discussed and reference will be made throughout the day to key learning from seminal decisions and Court decisions such as the Rotunda Judgement.
Participants will be invited to share experience from any live or recent FOI review cases they have dealt with.