Freedom of information...on the bus/train/ground

The Information Commissioner recently announced that it is to clamp down on non-compliance by public bodies with the provisions of the Freedom of information Act - noting that timeliness of responses (or lack thereof) is a frequent cause of complaint. Another cause for complaint is a failure on the part of public bodies to disclose the exemption relied upon by it when refusing a request. 

Also this week, Publicservice.co.uk has revealed the result of a freedom of information request which highlights that the MoD lost 320 laptops, 593 CDs, DVDs and floppy disks, 215 USB memory sticks, 96 hard drives and 13 mobile phones in a two year period.  Sally Creissen, Library and Information Services Manager at DMH Stallard, says "Some more cynical citizens might consider that undertaking a simple search of the buses and trains near the MoD's building in Whitehall for mislaid devices, could prove to be a more effective method of gleaning information than making an information request!  It certainly highlights the importance of ensuring data on equipment is encrypted and can be deleted remotely."

A Ministry of Defence spokesmen said: "The MoD takes any loss of media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place" and has introduced new processes to cut down on human errors.