From 1st January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 gave the public two related rights:
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to be told whether the information they want is held by a public authority
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if it is held, to receive that information within 20 working days, except if the information is covered by an exemption to the Act
As mentioned above, there are some exemptions which can apply to protect information such as personal information which must be dealt with under the Data Protection Act 1998. Environmental information is also exempt under the act (e.g. noise emissions, clinical waste, etc) and must be dealt with under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Anyone can make a request under the Act however, the Act requires that all requests:
Any requests should be sent to the address below, or emailed to: spctc.foi@nhs.net
Freedom of Information guidance is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office covering procedures, specific topics, specific sectors and exemptions.
Publication Scheme and Guide to Information
Our Publication Scheme sets out the commitments that the PCTs in East Sussex make under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to publish key information held by the organisation.
