Foi Legislation

Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) in Scotland are "responding well" to being covered by freedom of information (FOI) laws, according to a new report by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The report, which examines the experience of RSLs over their first year of FOI, found that 97% of organisati

Eileen Barr, a solicitor in TC Young’s Social Housing Team, outlines what can be learned from a recent decision notice by Scottish Information Commissioner on a Registered Social Landlord's (RSL's) handling of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. The Scottish Information Commissioner (

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has updated its COVID-19 briefing for social landlords on freedom of information (FOI). The update includes information on the reinstatement of 20 working days time limit for responding and further discretion offered to Scottish Information Comm

Scotland’s freedom of information legislation has improved the transparency and accountability of public bodies but needs to be updated to reflect the changing nature of public service delivery, according to Holyrood’s public audit committee.

Kelly Fraser outlines changes to the way public bodies respond to freedom of information requests as part of the emergency COVID-19 law. The new Coronavirus (Scotland) Act which passed the Scottish Parliament on 1 April 2020, contains provisions to extend the deadlines under the Freedom of Informati

Proposed changes to the way public bodies respond to freedom of information requests as part of emergency laws to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic go too far, the Scottish Greens have warned.

Housing associations and many of their subsidiaries are now subject to requests for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

RSLs up and down the country are working hard to ensure that they are ready for freedom of information (FOI) for 11 November 2019. The interface between FOI and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an issue that is likely to come up frequently for RSLs when handling and responding to FOI

Lisa Kinroy on the upcoming extension of Freedom of Information legislation to registered social landlords. From 11 November this year, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) will apply to RSLs, giving their tenants similar access to information as their local authority counterparts.

A public forum is being held to discuss the designation of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) under Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation. Organisers said the Scottish Public Information Forum (SPIF) is an opportunity for rights holders and duty bearers to meet and discuss access to information i

A Holyrood committee is looking for a wide range of views on the effectiveness of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Scottish Parliament’s public audit and post-legislative scrutiny committee launched a public consultation on the Act following concerns about compliance an

In light of the announcement by the Scottish Government regarding the implementation date for Freedom of Information (FOI) applying to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), Eileen Barr and Len Freedman outline the areas covered by the new regime. On 11 November 2019 all Scottish RSLs will become subje

Housing associations in Scotland will come under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act from November this year, the Scottish Government has announced. The move was outlined when an Order cited as the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (Designation of Persons as Scottish Public Authorities) Or

Paul Motion and Muneeb Gill from BTO explore the implications of a draft order that will designate Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and RSL subsidiaries as “public authorities” for the purposes of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 from April 2019. Just like buses…

Housing associations in Scotland could be subject to Freedom of Information (FOI) laws from April 2019, subject to a parliamentary vote, it has been announced. Confirming a draft order to extend coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to Registered Social Landlords yesterday, mini