The Law of Freedom of Information

by John Macdonald, Ross Crail (With), Colin Braham (With)

Overview

This supplement to The Law of Freedom of Information covers all of the key developments in the subject up to June 2005, and is an essential purchase for all who have already bought the main work. It includes full analysis of the guidance issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in October 2004 and the current awareness guidance and policy development documents issued by the Information Commissioner. The authors also examine the first decisions of the Commissioner and the decisions of the Ombudsman including her ruling on the disclosure of the advice given by the Attorney General on the legality of the war with Iraq. In addition, the supplement covers recent decisions from the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland, as well as UK decisions on data protection and confidentiality.
The supplement and the main work are also available as a pack (ISBN 0199288054: $350.00).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199288069
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/30/2006
Edition description:	First Cumulative Supplement
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Macdonald QC is a leading public law silk and high profile campaigner for freedom of information and human rights legislation.

Table of Contents

A. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 20001. The Historical Background2. The Debate in Parliament3. An OverviewB. THE PRESENT4. Freedom of Information until January 2005C. THE STATUTORY SCHEME5. Access to Information Held by Public Authorities6. Exempt Information7. Enforcement8. Historical RecordsD. A COMPARATIVE VIEW9. A Comparison with Freedom of Information ElsewhereE. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER STATUTES10. Data Protection11. Medical Records12. Secrecy13. Whistle-Blowing14. Money Laundering15. Local Government16. The Environment and Other StatutesF. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND THE COMMERCIAL WORLD17. Implications for Business18. Freedom of Information in Commercial Disputes19. The InternetG. PRIVACY, CONFIDENTIALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS20. Privacy and Confidentiality21. The Human Rights Act 1998H. DEVOLUTION22. Scotland23. Wales and Northern IrelandI. THE EUROPEAN UNION AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD24. The European Union25. The Right to Know in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United StatesJ. THE FUTURE26. The FutureFIRST CUMULATIVE SUPPLEMENTThe Supplement follows the same structure as the main work, with each contributor providing updates to their chapter(s), carefully referenced to the relevant paragraph of the main work.

Editorial Reviews

Reviews of main work:
"Richard Scott, the judge who through his inquiry into the arms-to-Iraq affair a few years ago put freedom of information high on the public agenda, rightly observes in a Foreword that, although written as a practitioners' book, 'the commendably simple, clear language of the text will make its exposition of the law as accessible to non-lawyers as to lawyers'. This is a book which no serious practitioner can do without.... Much has been written about the FOI Act, but this is, beyond doubt, the most authoritative analytical work on the subject."—Journal of the Commonwealth Lawyers

"... major work on freedom of information ... will be hugely valuable as a reference book in the years ahead as lawyers struggle with the complexities of the new legislation ... the commendably simple, clear language of the text will make the book's exposition of the law as accessible to non-lawyers as to lawyers."—Media Lawyer

From the Publisher