Plans to extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 in the next few years have been announced by the UK’s Ministry of Justice.

Although the presentation of implementing legislation is unlikely to take place in this Parliamentary session, the announcement refers to the following measures for scheduling before the general election in 2015:

• Publication of an updated code of practice to specify stricter time limits for applying the public interest test and for reviewing FOIA decisions, as well as promoting openness about contracts with private companies; and,
• The launch of a public consultation to seek comments on proposals to extend FOIA’s application to private companies with effective monopolies over public services, in addition to the inclusion of more regulatory bodies.

Alison Knight