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‘Freedom of information is not a luxury,’ campaigners warn Scottish government

TRANSPARENCY campaigners have warned that freedom of information was “not a luxury or a privilege” after restrictions on FoI law in Scotland were rolled back at Holyrood last week.

The Coronavirus (Scotland) (No 2) Bill, which passed on Thursday, repealed parts of the previous emergency legislation that had extended the deadlines for public bodies to deal with FoI requests.

Convener of the Campaign for Freedom of Information (FoI) in Scotland Carole Ewart has welcomed the ditching of restrictions. 

Writing in the Herald today, Ms Ewart said that freedom of information remains a key component of good government. 

She said: “Why extending FoI response times from 20 to 60 working days had ever seemed like a good idea remains a mystery, as history teaches us that whenever there is a health crisis, the public’s interest in transparency and accountability soars. 

“The focus seems to have been on the needs of duty bearers, who wanted their staff to focus on managing its response to the health emergency. That is what the public wants too, but ensuring the FoI regime operates as smoothly as possible is part of that response. 

“FoI is not a luxury or a privilege but a critical component of good government.”

A number of concerns had been raised by journalists and campaigners about the original legislative changes, whereby timescales for responses were likely to increase threefold. 

The campaign’s convener said FoI rights are now stronger as a result. Ms Ewart said: “Despite the last seven weeks, FoI rights have emerged stronger and we can look forward to prompt positive legislative reform.”

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