The tip of the iceberg...

The stories detailed on this page are examples of cases where requesters have brought applications to the Commissioner, following a public authority's refusal of an information request. It is important to remember, however, that the cases that come before the Commissioner are only a small part of the full picture of Scotland's FOI use.

The FOI right is being used on a daily basis by individuals and organisations who request and receive information from public authorities as a matter of course – without the need to ever bring an appeal to the Commissioner. The information released has been used to answer questions and resolve problems, helping people to get to the heart of the issues that matter to them.

Often these stories won't make it into the public domain. Often they won't come to the attention of the Commissioner. Occasionally, however, they do. Recent stories about the successful use of FOI by individuals and organisations include:

  • The extensive use of FOI by the disability charity Inclusion Scotland to gather information on the availability of appropriate housing for people with disabilities. The group is using the information collected to work collaboratively with local authorities to help improve services.
  • An Inverness father, Stephen Wilson, who used FOI as part of a successful campaign to ensure that all pre-school children in the Highlands receive appropriate eye-tests, following the late diagnosis of two of his own children with a preventable eye condition.
  • The C Diff Justice Group, set up by families of those who died during the Clostridium Difficile outbreak at the Vale of Leven hospital in 2008, to raise awareness and prevent a reoccurrence. The group have used FOI to access a variety of information, including reports into ward cleanliness at the hospital, details of Scotland-wide infection rates, and statistics on new cases.
  • The Rarer Cancers Forum, which discovered through FOI that twice as many patients in Scotland have to appeal to the NHS's 'Exceptional Cases Committee' for treatment than in England.

For more information on how to make use of your FOI right, visit www.itspublicknowledge.info/yourrights, or contact us.