The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2011

Statutory Instruments

2011 No. 1042

Freedom Of Information

The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2011

Made

31st March 2011

Laid before Parliament

4th April 2011

Coming into force

1st October 2011

The Secretary of State makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000(1).

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2011.

(2) This Order comes into force on 1st October 2011.

(3) In this Order, “the Act” means the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Removal of references to public authorities

2.—(1) In Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Act (other public bodies and offices: general) omit the entries listed in Part 1 of the Schedule to this Order.

(2) In Part 7 of Schedule 1 to the Act (other public bodies and offices: Northern Ireland) omit the entries listed in Part 2 of the Schedule to this Order.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

McNally

Minister of State

Ministry of Justice

31st March 2011

Article 2

SCHEDULE

PART 1 Entries omitted from Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Act

• The Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards.

• The Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee.

• The Committee for Monitoring Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship.

• The Committee on the Safety of Medicines.

• The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.

• The Genetic Testing and Insurance Committee.

• The Office of Government Commerce.

• The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

• The Personal Accounts Delivery Authority.

• The Renewables Advisory Board.

• The Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to

• Medicine.

• The United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority.

PART 2 Entries omitted from Part 7 of Schedule 1 to the Act

• The Law Reform Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland(2).

• The Legal Aid Advisory Committee (Northern Ireland).

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

The obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”) apply to public authorities. Section 3(1) provides that a “public authority” includes a body or office which is listed in Schedule 1. Where a body or office either ceases to exist or ceases to satisfy either of the conditions in section 4(2) or (3), an order may be made under section 4(5) omitting an entry relating to it from Schedule 1.

The Order removes references to the bodies in Part 1 of the Schedule to this Order from Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Act and references to the bodies in Part 2 of the Schedule to this Order from Part 7 of Schedule 1 to the Act.

An Impact Assessment has not been carried out because this Order removes references to bodies that have ceased to exist from Schedule 1 to the Act and therefore does not impose any new costs on any person.

(1)

2000 c.36; section 4(5) was amended by S.I. 2001/3500, Schedule 2, paragraph 8(1)(a), and S.I. 2003/1887, Schedule 2, paragraph 12(1)(a).

(2)

The provision in Schedule 13 to the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (c. 26) that removes the Law Reform Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland from Part 7 of Schedule 1 to the Act has not been commenced.