What is Freedom of Information (FOI) and what does it mean in practice?
The FOI ( Scotland ) Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, with the main provisions of the Act coming into force on 1 January 2005. This Act entitles any person requesting information from a Scottish public authority that holds it, to be given it. This means that if you make a request to an authority for information they are holding from 1 January 2005 they are required to provide you with access to that information. You may also express a preference for the format in which the information is provided – e.g. electronic or paper. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will aim to process your request for information as soon as possible and, in any event, within the 20-day time limit for compliance. There may be some instances where information requested is subject to an exemption from disclosure. Where this is the case, you will be informed of that fact and of your rights to a review of the request – again within the 20 day time limit.
