A number of news organisations have raised concerns about reported plans by the Government to introduce restrictions on Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

Since the Freedom of Information Act was passed in 2000, FOI requests have become a critical tool in holding public bodies to account and increasing transparency.

That said, the Act has not been without its critics: Tony Blair memorably reflected that he had been “naïve and irresponsible” to introduce it, and the growing volume and complexity of FOI requests over the years (recently aided by AI) has increased the time and cost involved in administering them. In particular, an independent review of the Act in 2012 found that requests from journalists “tend to be more complex and consequently more expensive”.

In response to this additional burden, it has been reported that the Government is planning to lower the threshold at which FOI requests can be rejected on costs grounds (currently £600 for central government and £450 for other public authorities).

Reacting to this news, the CEO of the News Media Association, Owen Meredith, has written to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport arguing that:

“It is not routine or trivial requests that would be excluded. It is the most sensitive and significant ones – those involving complex decision-making, high-value contracts, safeguarding, multi-agency correspondence, and procurement. Clearly, a reduction in the cost limit would restrict access and weaken scrutiny, and risk undermining the Government’s own commitments to openness and transparency”.

Adding to the criticism, the Chief Executive of the Society of Editors, Dawn Alford, said that “the Freedom of Information Act is a vital mechanism for ensuring accountability and transparency in government and any attempt to restrict the scope of the legislation would be damaging to democracy”.

No further details of any potential Government plans have been released at this stage. To read more, click here.