What are my rights?

You have legal rights that entitle you to see information from Scottish public authorities. 

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 give you these rights. 

Whether you live in Scotland or anywhere else in the world, you can ask for information from a Scottish public authority.

If you are 12 years old or over, you have the same rights to information as everybody else.  If you are under 12, you can still ask for the information, but you may be asked to show that you understand what you are doing.

You may want to use your rights to find out, for example:

• why you local council decided to close a primary school or a play park, or 
• how public authorities decide who gets priority, for example on a hospital or housing waiting list.

Or you may want to find out about:

• the contract under which a private company is providing a service for a Scottish public authority, such as a traffic warden service, or 
• studies carried out before a decision is made, for instance on the safety of medicines.

Download a free copy of our guide to your rights.  Alternatively, you can contact us on 01334 464610 or email enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info and we will send you a printed copy.

"Your Right to Know" - a guide to freedom of information law in Scotland (PDF - 4.4MB)