How publication schemes could be improved

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Introduction

There are lots of model publication schemes but the Government Departments is the one used here to illustrate the things users of this wiki think should be added. Please add ideas and improve suggestions already here.

Model Scheme for Government Departments

1. Contact email address for FOI requests

There is a section in the model scheme about contacts

"Locations of, and contact details for, the authority

This should cover the department at all levels, from the central body to offices open to the public for conducting the department’s business. Where possible, give named contacts."

  • The contact address people are most likely looking for is the email address of the "Freedom of Information Officer" if not they might be looking for an email address for Data Protection Act requests or an email address to make a complaint.
  • It helps if authorities have [email protected] as the address. Where people's names are used there are problems when they leave, they are sick, on holiday, maternity leave...

2. Companies they own

If a public authority is the sole shareholder (or sole member of a company limited by guarantee) then that company is subject to the Freedom of Information Act as a result of of the Act (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2000/ukpga_20000036_en_2#pt1-pb1-l1g6).

  • It would be useful if each public authority published a list of all their 100% subsidiaries and an FOI contact email address for each.
  • It would also be useful if they said what each company did e.g. "provider of consultancy services" "investment management company"
  • best practice would also be to give a registered company number


3. Information management policies and procedures

  • It is useful for the public to know that the record retention policy can be requested
  • It helps to provide a list of policy and procedures that can be requested
  • Even better to publish these documents on the website

4. Hyper links and the Web

  • The publication scheme should be published on the public authority website (if there is one)
  • If a public authority does not have a website then the scheme should be published on the website of a related public authority
  • The publication scheme should be on a webpage rather than in a word or PDF document
  • The scheme should include hyper links to documents already published on-line.

5. Accounting records

  • the trial balance for each financial year should be on the publication scheme


6. Affiliations and Memberships

  • The scheme should include a document listing bodies to which the authority pays an affiliation or membership fee (e.g. to be part of a consortium or representative body)
  • The scheme should explain the types of documents the authority regularly receives as a result of that affiliation or membership e.g. minutes of meetings, correspondence, annual reports
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