This page contains information about the development of the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the stages of its implementation.
You can find copies of the legislation and reports mentioned on this page in the Reference Library
January - the Act comes fully into force on 1 January, including the full 'right of access'. Because the first of January is a Saturday, the first requests are received by public authorities on 4 January.
February - publication schemes become compulsory for education bodies and most other non-departmental public bodies.
March/April - 30 more public authorities are brought within the scope of the Act and references to 12 bodies which have ceased to exist are removed.
November - the final Order is made which ensures that the Act will come fully into force on 1 January 2005 . Other Orders are made removing or relaxing some prohibitions on disclosure in other laws and adjusting some of the time-limits for responding to requests
December - an Order setting out the fees which can be charged under the Act is made. The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 are also made, implementing an EU Directive which resulted from the Aarhus Convention. These regulations provide a similar and parallel right to access information about the Environment.
February - local government bodies have to have their publication schemes approved by 28 February.
June - publication schemes become compulsory for the police and other criminal justice bodies from 30 June.
July/August - two further Orders are made, bringing 48 new bodies within the scope of the Act, and removing references to 19 more which no longer exist.
October - publication scheme provisions are brought into effect for the health service.
November - the second annual report on implementation is published.
November - the Freedom of Information (Additional Public Authorities) Order 2002 is made, which adds 22 new public authorities to the coverage of the Act.
Another Order requires that all central government departments and many non-departmental public bodies must have an approved publication scheme in place by 30 November.
January - more technical provisions of the Act came into force on 30 January, 2 months after Royal Assent.
April/May - the first secondary legislation was made under the Act - the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Commencement No.1) Order 2001. This brought further provisions into force on 14 May 2001.
November - in answer to a Parliamentary Question, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, announces the timetable for bringing into force the requirement for public authorities to have publication schemes. He also promises that the Act will come into force on 1 January 2005 , 11 months before the deadline set in the Act itself. The first 'Annual report on proposals for bringing fully into force those provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which are not yet fully in force' was published, as required by the Act, on 29 November.
April - the Freedom of Information Bill moved to the House of Lords on 6 April 2000
November - the Freedom of Information Act 2000 received Royal Assent on the final day of the Parliamentary session - 30 November 2000 . Some provisions came into force immediately enabling the Information Commissioner to be appointed and his office to be set up. The Act would come into force in its entirety five years from the date of Royal Assent (unless commenced sooner).
May - the Government published the draft Freedom of Information Bill on 24 May 1999 as part of a public consultation. Responses were sought by 20 July.
June/July - A House of Lords Select Committee was appointed to consider the draft Bill. They published their report on 27 July 1999 .
October - the Government published its response to the House of Lords Committee's report, agreeing to many of its recommendations.
November - The revised Freedom of Information Bill was formally introduced in the House of Commons on 18 November 1999
May - The House of Commons Public Administration Committee publishes its response to Your Right to Know. This is the Committee's 'Third Report' for 1998.
July - The Government publishes its response to the 'Third Report' of the Public Administration Committee.
December - The Government publishes a white paper called 'Your Right to Know' setting out its proposals for a Freedom of Information Bill.