According to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the following amendments to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) are likely to take effect in May or June: Amendments to the FOIA in section 102 Protection of Freedoms Act (POFA) – duty to provide data sets in re-usable form; Amendments to the FOIA in section 103 POFA – meaning of “publicly owned company”; Amendments to the FOIA and the Data Protection Act in Sections 105-108 POFA – the Information Commissioner’s appointment, tenure etc. The ICO says that it will publish guidance on the data sets provisions once the code of practice on datasets and the new fees regulations for the re-use of data sets are in force. The government has not announced whether the FOIA will be extended to cover private sector bodies, which provide public services.
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