Is this statement true?

The Freedom of Information Act is a piece of UK legislation which allows members of the public to request information on issues such as public sector sourcing. When a request is made, it is compulsory for the public sector to provide this information to the public.

Is this statement true?
A . yes- the information must be provided within 28 days
B . yes- the information must be posted publically online
C . no- the public sector can choose not to publish information if it is not deamed to be in the public interest
D . no- the public sector does not need to provide information on sourcing activities

View Answer

Answer: C

Explanation:

the correct answer is ‘no- the public sector can choose not to publish information if it is not deemed to be in the public interest’.

They use something called the ‘public interest test’ to determine if the information should be re-leased or not. For example they may not respond to a request asking how many bullets the UK Army has in storage, as that would be detrimental to national security interests. Responses to requests are made within 21 days, not 28.