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08 March 2013 / Tom Morrison
Issue: 7551 / Categories: Features , Data protection , Freedom of Information
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Private eye

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Tom Morrison returns with his quarterly review of the world of information law

Recent editions of this column have focused on enforcement activity and the hefty fines that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has imposed. In this edition we focus on the social housing sector and its significant data protection and freedom of information compliance issues.

The impact of freedom of information on housing associations

Whereas the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 1998) gives individuals the right to ask any person or organisation for a copy of information which is held about them, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FIA 2000) gives every person or organisation the right to ask any public authority for any other information it holds. In broad terms, unless an exemption applies, a public authority is likely to have to provide the information requested within 20 working days.

Some housing associations might believe they are sheltered from the impact of FIA 2000 as, at the moment, they are not “public authorities”. They would in part be right.

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