Since 2005, the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) has given anyone, from anywhere, the right to request any information held by us. It places a duty on us to provide that information unless there’s a very good reason, defined according to law, why we should not.
A key part of our culture is a commitment to openness and transparency, particularly in our dealings with people and organisations. We feel that by opening up more of our organisation to the world we can promote integrity and trust. We therefore take our responsibilities under Freedom of Information very seriously.
The Freedom of Information Act requires us to make certain kinds of information routinely available to the public in an index of publications known as a publication scheme.
We are working to make more information more easily accessible to the public and this is in line with the Information Commissioner’s Office Development and Maintenance Initiative. This will ready by the end of 2008.
If you have feedback or suggestions regarding the types of information which you would like to see on our website please send them to foi@britishcouncil.org.
If you are unable to find the information you require on our website, you can make a request by e-mail directly to our Freedom of Information Officer. You should provide a name and address for correspondence and a description of the information you would like to see. You can also write to the Freedom of Information Officer at our London office.
Although you must submit a request in writing, if you have any questions and would like to speak to someone in person, you can contact us by telephone on +44 020 7389 4016.
Records of historical value are managed by us for 30 years and then transferred to The National Archives in Kew where they may be consulted by members of the public. Documents and records which are less than 30 years old are subject to the regulations of the Freedom of Information Act.
In August 2007, The National Archives completed an assessment of our information management. The assessment was conducted against the Lord Chancellor’s Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued under section 46 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. A summary of the findings and recommendations together with our Action Plan in response to the assessment have been published both on ours and The National Archives websites.
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