Courses take place in:

London, Manchester and Belfast

The competing demands of Freedom of Information and Data Protection legislation in the UK present challenges for all public bodies involved in collecting, holding and disclosing personal information. Understanding the interface between Freedom of Information laws (including the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR)) and the Data Protection Act 1998 is essential for all those involved with information management in the public sector.

This session, which is designed for people who already work with FOI or data protection issues, explains the key principles underlying the differences between these important laws, including when personal data should and should not be released in response to subject access requests and FOI/EIR requests.

The session includes:

• knowing whether a request should be dealt with under the DPA or FOI law (or EIR)
• the latest thinking on determining what is personal data
• the interpretation and practical application of the personal data exemption
• the legal principles governing access to third party personal information
• applying relevant exemptions
• disclosing staff information to outside third parties
• analysing the practical implications of key decisions of the Commissioner and Information Rights Tribunal
• disclosing third party data of professionals in the fields of health, education and social work

This session enables delegates to understand how to manage requests for information, and to achieve best practice within their organisation.