The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000, together with the revised Environmental Information Regulations and the amended Data Protection Act, came into force on 1 January 2005.

The FOI Act places a duty on every public authority to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme giving a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by that authority.

From 1 January 2005, any person who makes a request to a public authority must be informed whether the authority holds that information and, subject to exemptions, supplied with that information.

The Act requires that the Appeals Panel, as an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), has its own Publication Scheme. This will provide direct access to guidance on how the panel operates and any published documents.