FOI Frequently Asked Questions
About the Act
- What is the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act?
- What new rights does the Act create?
- When does the Act come into force?
- Does the Act only apply to records created from 1st January 2005?
- Will I be able to obtain personal information about myself under the Act?
- Who ensures that Surrey Police complies with the Act?
The Freedom of Information Act
What is the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act?
To give the public greater access to information about the workings of government and public bodies.
What new rights does the Act create?
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives two related rights: the right to be told whether the information exists; and the right to receive the information (subject to exemptions).
When does the Act come into force?
The Individual Right of Access comes into effect in January 2005. Public authorities also have to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme. The Police Service has to have such a scheme in place by 30th June 2003.
Does the Act only apply to records created from 1st January 2005?
No, the Act is fully retrospective.
Will I be able to obtain personal information about myself under the Act?
Requests for personal information will be dealt with under the Data Protection Act, about which you can find more information on our services page.
Who ensures that Surrey Police complies with the Act?
The Information Commissioner is responsible for ensuring that all public authorities comply with the Act.
The Publication Scheme
What if I want some information that is not included in the Publication Scheme?
Surrey Police is under no legal obligation to provide any additional information outside the Publication Scheme until January 2005.
Do I have to pay for any of the information included in the Publication Scheme?
Details of charges applicable can be found in the Publication Scheme.
You seem to use a lot of acronyms and abbreviations in your information. How can I find out what these mean?
Please see our abbreviations list.
Freedon of Information
In providing this information Surrey Police is following the legally approved ACPO Model Publication Scheme.
The Freedom of Information Act requires a Publication Scheme to specify the classes of information the public authority already publishes or intends to publish. Our intention is to publish as much information as possible on subjects where there is known to be public interest.
However, exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act may prevent some information from being released.
For the definition of costs please refer to the Obtaining Information section.
Surrey Police publishes, or intends to publish, information under the Classes listed and those found on the About Us page here.