The Lord Chancellor is required to issue two Codes of Practice under the
Freedom of Information Act.
1 - Code Of Practice on the discharge of public authorities functions under Part I of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 [November 2004]
This Code of Practice, issued under Section 45, sets out the practices which public authorities should follow when dealing with requests for information. It also includes a section on freedom of information and public sector contracts. It was laid before Parliament on 20 November 2002, as required by section 45(5) of the Act. Much of the Code will not be applicable until January 2005, when the Act's general right of access provisions come into force, but issuing the Code early enables public authorities to see what is expected of them and develop internal guidance and training material accordingly. The Code will be reviewed, and amended if necessary, in the light of developing secondary legislation and guidance, before January 2005.
2 - Code of Practice on the
management of records | PDF
version [52kb] 
[November 2002]
This Code of Practice, issued under Section 46, gives guidance on good practice in records management to all authorities subject to either the Freedom of Information Act, or the Public Records Act 1958 or the Public Records Act (Northern Ireland) 1923. It also, in Part II, gives guidance on the review and transfer of public records to the public record offices and to places of deposit for public records. It was laid before Parliament on 20 November 2002, as required by section 46(6) of the Act. The Code will not be generally applicable until January 2005 but issuing it early enables authorities to see what is expected of them and develop their records management accordingly. The Code will be reviewed, and amended if necessary, within five years of its issue.
Model action plans to help authorities reach compliance with this Code have been prepared by the Public Record Office.
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