The Scottish Information Commissioner is responsible for the promotion and enforcement of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004(Scottish EIRs).
This legislation generates thousands of requests to Scotland's public authorities for information. Often these involve high profile, controversial or sensitive matters, which have to be resolved when appealed to the Commissioner. He employs 24 staff in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, to help him investigate and decide upon cases, provide information to the public on their rights, and assess whether Scottish public authorities are following good practice.[1]
FOISA came into full force on 1 January 2005, at the same time as the Scottish EIRs. In July 2010, the Scottish Information Commissioner issued his 1,000th decision. [2] The Commissioner publishes information on the number of cases he has on hand on his website.[3] He issues guidance for public authorities on their obligations under FOISA [4], and publishes information on rights to information for the public[5].
The Commissioner is appointed by The Queen on the nomination of the Scottish Parliament, and is an independent public official who makes legally enforceable decisions.
The first and current Commissioner is Kevin Dunion, appointed in February 2003. His second term commenced in 2008 and will run until February 2012.
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Categories: Freedom of Information in the United Kingdom