Do applicants making requests under FOI have to declare an interest to re-use?
A. No. FOI is ’purpose blind’ which means that applicants do not have to declare the purposes of the request. A grant of access to information does not convey any rights to re-use it. Those requesting access to information should be informed that if they wish to re-use the information in any way they must apply for a licence and inform the public body how they plan to re-use the material. OPSI provides specific guidance on the form of words to be used. This is particularly important in relation to third party copyright material.
