The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2005

Statutory Instruments

2005 No. 3594

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2005

Made

29th December 2005

Laid before Parliament

16th January 2006

Coming into force

7th February 2006

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by section 4(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000(1) hereby makes the following Order:

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2005, and shall come into force on 7th February 2006.

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

2.  The entries relating to the bodies and offices listed in the Schedule to this Order shall be removed from Parts 6 and 7 of Schedule 1 to the Act.

Signed by authority of the Lord Chancellor

Catherine M. Ashton

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department for Constitutional Affairs

29th December 2005

Article 2.

SCHEDULE 1 ENTRIES REMOVED FROM PARTS 6 AND 7 OF SCHEDULE 1 TO THE ACT WITH EFFECT FROM 7 FEBRUARY 2006

• The National Expert Group on Transboundary Air Pollution

• The Commissioner for Integrated Transport

• The Pharmacists' Review Panel

• The Standing Medical Advisory Committee

• The Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee

• The Standing Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee

• The Business Incubation Fund Investment Panel

• Obstetrics Committee

• The Northern Ireland Economic Council

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. For the purposes of the Act, a “public authority” means a body or office which is listed in Schedule 1 to the Act or designated by order under section 5, or a publicly-owned company as defined by section 6. The list in Schedule 1 to the Act may be added to by order under section 4(1), provided that the conditions prescribed by section 4(2) and (3) are satisfied. Where a body or office either ceases to exists, or ceases to satisfy either of the conditions in section 4(2) or (3), an order may be made under section 4(5) removing an entry relating to it from Schedule 1 to the Act.

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

A Regulatory Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this Instrument as it has no impact on business.

(1)

2000 c. 36. The functions of the Lord Chancellor under section 4 were transferred to the Secretary of State by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 (S.I 2003/1887). Those functions had previously been transferred to the Lord Chancellor by the Transfer of Functions (Miscellaneous) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/3500), which Order amended that section accordingly.