Action to improve FOI performance

Plans to improve the transparency and openness of government business have been published.

The new action plan outlines steps to improve the way Freedom of Information (FOI) requests received by the Scottish Government are handled, including a new case handling model, enhanced staff training and a more streamlined clearance process.

A new correspondence management system is also being introduced to strengthen records management and monitoring.

The plan, which will build on the current above-target performance of answering 93% of requests on time so far this year, was prepared in response to recommendations made by the Scottish Information Commissioner earlier this year and formally submitted to him today.

Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business, said:

"This action plan builds on our improving performance in responding to FOIs and ensure we get requests on the right track from the outset and provide quality responses as promptly as possible.

"It follows our acceptance in full the comprehensive recommendations made by the Commissioner earlier this summer. I am grateful for his constructive approach in helping us to identify improvements, ensuring our commitment to openness and transparency becomes fully embedded in all processes."

Background

The Scottish Government has formally submitted the draft action plan to the Scottish Information Commissioner for approval and we have published this draft action plan on our website. Quarterly progress reports on delivery of the action plan will be published proactively.

The action plan was prepared in response to the Scottish Information Commissioner's recommendations in his June 2018 Intervention Report.