Groups fear information bid damage

VOLUNTARY sector workers are afraid to put freedom of information requests to public bodies for fear of the consequences, new research has found.

They worry that making the request could damage working relationships or even put their organisation's funding at risk, the survey found.

The findings, in research carried out by the University of Strathclyde, were greeted with "concern" by Scotland's information commissioner, Kevin Dunion.

He said: "In passing the FOI Act, the Scottish Parliament's intention was to transform the culture within Scottish public authorities, making them more open and accountable to everyone, regardless of where they are from or who they represent.

"No-one should fear the consequences of making an FOI request."

The findings coincided with the fifth anniversary of Scotland's freedom of information laws.

Mr Dunion said: "The good news is that Scotland has become more open in the five years since freedom of information was introduced, with Scotland's public authorities disclosing more information than ever before.

"The bad news is that when authorities refuse to give out information, they often still fail in their legal duty to inform people of their right of appeal."