The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2023

Statutory Instruments

2023 No. 392

Freedom Of Information

The Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2023

Made

29th March 2023

Laid before Parliament

30th March 2023

Coming into force

1st June 2023

The Minister for the Cabinet Office makes the following Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 4(5) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000(1).

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Freedom of Information (Removal of References to Public Authorities) Order 2023.

(2) This Order comes into force on 1st June 2023.

Removal of references to public authorities

2.  In Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (other public bodies and offices: general)(2) omit the entries listed in the Schedule to this Order.

Neville-Rolfe

Minister of State

Cabinet Office

29th March 2023

Article 2

SCHEDULE Entries omitted from Part 6 of Schedule 1

• The Advisory Board on Restricted Patients.

• The Advisory Committee for Disabled People in Employment and Training.

• The Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites.

• The Advisory Committee on Organic Standards.

• The Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information.

• The Aerospace Committee.

• The Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission.

• The Airborne Particles Expert Group.

• The British Association for Central and Eastern Europe.

• The British Coal Corporation.

• The Diplomatic Service Appeal Board.

• The Distributed Generation Co-Ordinating Group.

• The Ethnic Minority Business Forum.

• The Film Industry Training Board for England and Wales.

• The Firearms Consultative Committee.

• The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle Tuberculosis.

• Investors in People UK.

• The Legal Deposit Advisory Panel

• The National Employment Panel.

• The New Deal Task Force.

• The Olympic Lottery Distributor

• The Olympic Park Legacy Company.

• The Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate.

• The Race Education and Employment Forum.

• A Regional Cultural Consortium.

• Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries.

• The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution.

• The Small Business Investment Task Force.

• The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee.

• The subsidence adviser appointed under section 46 of the Coal Industry Act 1994.

• The Sustainable Development Commission.

• The UK Commission for Employment and Skills

• The Veterinary Residues Committee.

• The Women’s National Commission.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

The obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c. 36) (“the Act”) apply to public authorities. Section 3(1) provides that a “public authority” includes a body or holder of any office which is listed in Schedule 1 to the Act. Where such a body or office either ceases to exist or ceases to satisfy either of the conditions in section 4(2) and (3), an order may be made under section 4(5) omitting an entry relating to it from Schedule 1.

Article 2 of this Order removes references to the bodies listed in the Schedule to this Order from Part 6 of Schedule 1 to the Act.

An Impact Assessment has not been prepared for this instrument as no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.

(1)

2000 c. 36. The function conferred on the Secretary of State by section 4(5) became concurrently exercisable by the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by virtue of the Transfer of Functions (Information and Public Records) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/1897). That concurrent function of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was transferred to the Minister for the Cabinet Office by the Transfer of Functions (Elections, Referendums, Third Sector and Information) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/997). There is another amendment to section 4(5) but it is not relevant.

(2)

Part 6 of Schedule 1 was amended by S.I. 2003/1882, 2004/938, 2005/3593, 2008/1271, 2010/937 and 2011/1041. There are other amendments, but none that are relevant.