diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | app/models/incoming_message.rb | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/models/outgoing_message.rb | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/help/_sidebar.rhtml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/help/about.rhtml | 280 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/help/api.rhtml | 1 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/help/credits.rhtml | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/help/officers.rhtml | 275 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/layouts/default.rhtml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/outgoing_mailer/followup.rhtml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/outgoing_mailer/initial_request.rhtml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | app/views/request/upload_response.rhtml | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | public/stylesheets/main.css | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | todo.txt | 3 |
13 files changed, 302 insertions, 286 deletions
diff --git a/app/models/incoming_message.rb b/app/models/incoming_message.rb index 1d81e9d42..0972b0681 100644 --- a/app/models/incoming_message.rb +++ b/app/models/incoming_message.rb @@ -1157,7 +1157,7 @@ class IncomingMessage < ActiveRecord::Base text = MySociety::Format.simplify_angle_bracketed_urls(text) text = CGI.escapeHTML(text) text = MySociety::Format.make_clickable(text, :contract => 1) - text.gsub!(/\[(email address|mobile number)\]/, '[<a href="/help/about#mobiles">\1</a>]') + text.gsub!(/\[(email address|mobile number)\]/, '[<a href="/help/officers#mobiles">\1</a>]') if collapse_quoted_sections text = text.gsub(/(\s*FOLDED_QUOTED_SECTION\s*)+/m, "FOLDED_QUOTED_SECTION") text.strip! diff --git a/app/models/outgoing_message.rb b/app/models/outgoing_message.rb index 6f6ce811e..e20761bc4 100644 --- a/app/models/outgoing_message.rb +++ b/app/models/outgoing_message.rb @@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ class OutgoingMessage < ActiveRecord::Base text = MySociety::Format.wrap_email_body_by_lines(text) # reparagraph and wrap it so is good preview of emails text = CGI.escapeHTML(text) text = MySociety::Format.make_clickable(text, :contract => 1) - text.gsub!(/\[(email address|mobile number)\]/, '[<a href="/help/about#mobiles">\1</a>]') + text.gsub!(/\[(email address|mobile number)\]/, '[<a href="/help/officers#mobiles">\1</a>]') text = text.gsub(/\n/, '<br>') return text end diff --git a/app/views/help/_sidebar.rhtml b/app/views/help/_sidebar.rhtml index 29e575931..875cd9a57 100644 --- a/app/views/help/_sidebar.rhtml +++ b/app/views/help/_sidebar.rhtml @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Introduction", "/help/about" %></li> <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Making requests", "/help/about#making_requests" %></li> <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Privacy policy", "/help/about#privacy" %></li> - <li><%= link_to_unless_current "FOI officers", "/help/about#officers" %></li> + <li><%= link_to_unless_current "FOI officers", "/help/officers" %></li> <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Credits", "/help/credits" %></li> <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Programmers API", "/help/api" %></li> <li><%= link_to_unless_current "Advanced search", "/search" %></li> diff --git a/app/views/help/about.rhtml b/app/views/help/about.rhtml index 3e70f049f..95788e962 100644 --- a/app/views/help/about.rhtml +++ b/app/views/help/about.rhtml @@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ requests. <p>Even if they are not prompt, in nearly all cases they must respond within 20 working days. If you had to clarify your request, or they are a school, or one or two other cases, then they may have more time -(<a href="#days">full details</a>). +(<a href="/help/officers#days">full details</a>). <p>WhatDoTheyKnow will email you if you don't get a timely response. You can then send the public authority a message to remind them, and tell them if they @@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ are breaking the law.</p> </li> <li>If they have not received it, the problem is most likely due to "spam filters". Refer the authority to the measures in the answer - '<a href="#spam_problems">I can see a request on WhatDoTheyKnow, but we never got it by email!</a>' - below. + '<a href="/help/officers#spam_problems">I can see a request on WhatDoTheyKnow, but we never got it by email!</a>' + in the FOI officers section of this help. </li> <li>If you're still having no luck, then you can ask for an internal review, and then complain to the Information Commissioner about the authority. @@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ be able do anything with the information. <p>You can, of course, write articles about the information or summarise it, or quote parts of it. We also think you should feel free to republish the information in full, just as we do, even though in theory you might not be -allowed to do so. See <a href="#copyright">our policy on copyright</a>.</p> +allowed to do so. See <a href="/help/officers#copyright">our policy on copyright</a>.</p> </dd> @@ -405,8 +405,8 @@ reason, we will not delete requests. <p>Under exceptional circumstances we may remove or change your name on the website, following similar policy as for the names of -public servants. Similarly, we may also remove other personal information. See -'<a href="#takedown">Can you take down personal information about me?</a>'. +public servants (<a href="/help/officers#takedown">see here</a>). +Similarly, we may also remove other personal information. </p> <p>If you're worried about this before you make your request, @@ -463,274 +463,6 @@ Post a link to a suitable forum or campaign site elsewhere.</p> </dl> -<h1 id="officers">FOI officer questions <a href="#officers">#</a> </h1> - -<dl> - -<dt id="top">I just got here from bottom of an FOI request, what is going on? <a href="#top">#</a> </dt> - -<dd><p>WhatDoTheyKnow is a service run by a charity. It helps ordinary members -of the public make FOI requests, and easily track and share the responses.</p> - -<p>The FOI request you received was made by someone using WhatDoTheyKnow. You can -simply reply to the request as you would any other request from an individual. -The only difference is that your response will be automatically published on -the Internet. -</p> -<p>If you have privacy or other concerns, please read the answers below. -You might also like to read this page <a -href="/help/about">from the top</a> to find out more about what -the site does from the point of view of a user. You can also search the -site to find the authority that you work for, and view the status of -any requests made using the site. - -<p>Finally, we welcome comments and -thoughts from FOI officers, please <a href="/help/contact">get in touch</a>. -</p> -</dd> - -<dt id="responses">Why are you publishing responses to FOI requests? <a href="#responses">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>We think there are lots of benefits. Most importantly it will encourage the -public to be more interested and involved in the work of government. We -also hope that it will reduce the number of duplicate requests on any -subject that a public body will receive. Given that Freedom of Information -responses contain public information, which anybody could easily request -again from the public authority, we think there should be no reason not to -publish it widely. -</dd> - -<dt id="realpeople">Are the people making requests real people? <a href="#realpeople">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>Yes. For the purposes of keeping track of responses we use -computer-generated email addresses for each request. However, before -they can send a request, each user must register on the site with a -unique email address that we then verify. You can search this site and -find a page listing all requests that each person has made. -</dd> - -<dt id="email_only">An email isn't a sufficient address for an FOI request! <a href="#email_only">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>Yes it is. This -<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1142/response/2894/attach/5/20080806100741260.pdf">letter from the ICO to Rother District Council</a> gives guidance on the matter, specifically -in the context of requests made via WhatDoTheyKnow. -</dd> - -<dt id="vexatious">Aren't you making lots of vexatious requests? <a href="#vexatious">#</a> </dt> - -<dd><p>WhatDoTheyKnow is not making any requests. We are sending requests on -behalf of our users, who are real people making the requests. </p> -<p>Look at it like this - if lots of different people made requests from -different Hotmail email addresses, then you would not think that Microsoft were -making vexatious requests. It is exactly the same if lots of requests are made -via WhatDoTheyKnow. Moreover, since all requests are public it is much easier -for you to see if one of our users is making vexatious requests. </p> -<p>If that isn't enough for you, the -<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1142/response/2894/attach/5/20080806100741260.pdf">letter from the ICO to Rother District Council</a> gives some guidance on the matter.</p> -</dd> - -<dt id="spam_problems">I can see a request on WhatDoTheyKnow, but we never got it by email!<a href="#spam_problems">#</a> </dt> - -<dd><p>If a request appears on the site, then we have attempted to send it to -the authority by email. Any delivery failure messages will automatically -appear on the site. You can check the address we're using with the "View FOI -email address" link which appears on the page for the authority. <a -href="/help/contact">Contact us</a> if there is a better address we can -use.</p> -<p>Requests are sometimes not delivered because they are quietly removed by -"spam filters" in the IT department of the authority. Authorities can make -sure this doesn't happen by asking their IT departments to "whitelist" -any email from <strong>@whatdotheyknow.com</strong>. -If you <a href="/help/contact">ask us</a> we will resend any request, -and/or give technical details of delivery so an IT department can chase -up what happened to the message. -</p> -<p>Finally, you can respond to any request from your web browser, without -needing any email, using the "respond to request" link at the bottom of -each request page. -</dd> - -<dt id="days">How do you calculate the deadline shown on request pages?<a href="#days">#</a> </dt> - -<dd> -<p>The Freedom of Information Act says:</p> - -<blockquote><p>A public authority must comply with section 1(1) <strong>promptly</strong> and -in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of -receipt.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The nerdy detail of exactly how weekends are counted, and what happens if -the request arrives out of office hours, is just that - detail. What matters -here is that the law says authorities must respond <strong>promptly</strong>.</p> - -<p>If you've got a good reason why the request is going to take a while to -process, requesters find it really helpful if you can send a quick email with a -sentence or two saying what is happening. </p> - -<p>FOI officers often have to do a lot of <strong>hard work</strong> to answer -requests, and this is hidden from the public. We think it would help everyone -to have more of that complexity visible.</p> - -</dd> - -<dt id="days2">But really, how do you calculate the deadline?<a href="#days2">#</a> </dt> - -<dd> - -<p>Please read the answer to the previous question first. Legally, authorities -must respond <strong>promptly</strong> to FOI requests. If they fail to do that, -it is best if they show the hard work they are doing by explaining what is -taking the extra time to do. -</p> - -<p>That said, WhatDoTheyKnow does show the maximum legal deadline -for response on each request. Here's how we calculate it.</p> - -<ul> - -<li>If the day we deliver the request by email is a working day, we count that -as "day zero", even if it was delivered late in the evening. Days end at -midnight. We then count the next working day as "day one", and so on up to -<strong>20 working days</strong>.</li> - -<li>If the day the request email was delivered was a non-working day, we count -the next working day as "day one". Delivery is delivery, even if it happened on -the weekend. Some authorities <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/policy_regarding_body_scans#incoming-1100">disagree with this</a>, our lawyer disagrees with them. </li> - -<li>Requesters are encouraged to mark when they have <strong>clarified</strong> -their request so the clock resets, but sometimes they get this wrong. If you -see a problem with a particular request, let us know and we'll fix it.</li> -</ul> - -<p>The date thus calculated is shown on requests with the text "By law, -Liverpool City Council should normally have responded by...". There is only -one case which is not normal, see the next question about -<a href="#public_interest_test">public interest test time extensions</a>. -</p> - -<p>Schools are also a special case, which WhatDoTheyKnow displays differently. -</p> - -<ul> -<li>Since June 2009, <strong>schools</strong> have "20 working days -disregarding any working day which is not a school day, or 60 working days, -whichever is first" (<a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/draft/ukdsi_9780111477632_en_1">FOI (Time for Compliance with Request) Regulations 2009</a>). WhatDoTheyKnow indicates on requests to schools that the 20 day deadline is only -during term time, and shows them as definitely overdue after 60 working days -</li> -</ul> - -<p>If you're getting really nerdy about all this, read the <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/timeforcompliance.pdf">detailed ICO guidance</a>. -Meanwhile, remember that the law says authorities must respond -<strong>promptly</strong>. That's really what matters.</p> - -</dd> - -<dt id="public_interest_test">How do you reflect time extensions for public interest tests?<a href="#public_interest_test">#</a> </dt> - -<dd> - -<p>The Freedom of Information Act lets authorities claim an indefinite time -extension when applying a <strong>public interest test</strong>. Information -Commissioner guidance says that it should only be used in "exceptionally -complex" cases -(<a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/foi_good_practice_guidance_4.pdf">FOI Good Practice Guidance No. 4</a>). -WhatDoTheyKnow doesn't specifically handle this case, which is why we use the -phrase "should normally have responded by" when the 20 working day time is -exceeded. -</p> - -<p>The same guidance says that, even in exceptionally complex cases, no -Freedom of Information request should take more than <strong>40 working days</strong> -to answer. WhatDoTheyKnow displays requests which are overdue by that much -with stronger wording to indicate they are definitely late. -</p> - -<p>The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act does not allow such a public -interest extension. WhatDoTheyKnow would like to see the law changed to either -remove the extension from the UK Act, or to reintroduce an absolute time limit -of 40 working days even with the extension (the House of Lords <a -href="http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2000-10-17&number=1&house=lords">voted -to remove</a> provision for such a time limit during the initial passage -of the UK Act through Parliament). -</p> -</dd> - -<dt id="large_file">How can I send a large file, which won't go by email?<a href="#large_file">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>Instead of email, you can respond to a request directly from your web -browser, including uploading a file. To do this, choose "respond to request" at -the bottom of the request's page. <a href="/help/contact">Contact us</a> if it -is too big for even that (more than, say, 50Mb). -</dd> - -<dt id="names">Why do you publish the names of civil servants and the text of emails? <a href="#names">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>We consider what officers or servants do in the course of their employment -to be public information.</dd> - -<dt id="takedown">Can you take down personal information about me? <a href="#takedown">#</a> </dt> - -<dd> - -<p>If you see any personal information about you on the site which you'd like -us to remove or hide, then please <a href="/help/contact">let us know</a>, -specifying exactly what information you believe to be problematic and why, and -where it appears on the site.</p> - -<p>If it is sensitive personal information that has been accidentally -posted, then we will usually remove it. Normally we will only consider -requests to remove personal information which come from the individual -concerned, but for sensitive information we would appreciate anyone -pointing out anything they see.</p> - -<p>We consider for various reasons that there is a strong public interest in -retaining the names of officers or servants of public authorities. We will only -remove such names in exceptional circumstances, such as where the disclosure of -a name and position of employment would substantially risk an individual's -safety. If you are such an official and you wish to have your name removed for -such an urgent reason, you must supply us with a request to do so from your -line manager. This request must demonstrate that a risk has been perceived -which outweighs the public interest, and must demonstrate that efforts have -been made to conceal the name on the organisation's own website.</p> - -<p>For all other requests we apply a public interest test to decide -whether information should be removed. -<a href="http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?ActiveTextDocId=3190650"> Section 32</a> -of the Data Protection Act 1998 permits us to do this, as the material we -publish is journalistic. We cannot easily edit many types of attachments (such -as PDFs, or Microsoft Word or Excel files), so we will usually ask -that authorities resend these with the personal information removed.</p> - -</dd> - -<dt id="mobiles">Do you publish email addresses or mobile phone numbers? <a href="#mobiles">#</a> </dt> - -<dd><p>To prevent spam, we automatically remove most emails and some mobile numbers from -responses to requests. Please <a href="/help/contact">contact us</a> if we've -missed one. -For technical reasons we don't always remove them from attachments, such as certain PDFs.</p> -<p>If you need to know what an address was that we've removed, please <a - href="/help/contact">get in touch with us</a>. Occasionally, an email address -forms an important part of a response and we will post it up in an obscured -form in an annotation. -</dd> - -<dt id="copyright"><a name="commercial"></a>What is your policy on copyright of documents?<a href="#copyright">#</a> </dt> - -<dd>Our Freedom of Information law is "applicant blind", so anyone in the -world can request the same document and get a copy of it. - -If you think our making a document available on the internet infringes your -copyright, you may <a href="/help/contact">contact us</a> and ask us -to take it down. However, to save tax payers' money by preventing duplicate -requests, and for good public relations, we'd advise you not to do that. -</dd> - -</dl> - - -</dl> - <div id="hash_link_padding"></div> diff --git a/app/views/help/api.rhtml b/app/views/help/api.rhtml index 569d92c25..f984bed4d 100644 --- a/app/views/help/api.rhtml +++ b/app/views/help/api.rhtml @@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ tips</a> for details. <dl> +<div id="hash_link_padding"></div> diff --git a/app/views/help/credits.rhtml b/app/views/help/credits.rhtml index b55bbeaf9..58b113b4a 100644 --- a/app/views/help/credits.rhtml +++ b/app/views/help/credits.rhtml @@ -1,8 +1,8 @@ -<% @title = "About" %> +<% @title = "Credit where credit is due" %> <%= render :partial => 'sidebar' %> -<h1 id="credits">Credit where credit is due <a href="#credits">#</a> </h1> +<h1 id="credits"><%= @title%> <a href="#credits">#</a> </h1> <dl> diff --git a/app/views/help/officers.rhtml b/app/views/help/officers.rhtml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..3ac3845ca --- /dev/null +++ b/app/views/help/officers.rhtml @@ -0,0 +1,275 @@ +<% @title = "FOI officer questions" %> + +<%= render :partial => 'sidebar' %> + +<h1 id="officers"><%= @title %> <a href="#officers">#</a> </h1> + +<dl> + +<dt id="top">I just got here from bottom of an FOI request, what is going on? <a href="#top">#</a> </dt> + +<dd><p>WhatDoTheyKnow is a service run by a charity. It helps ordinary members +of the public make FOI requests, and easily track and share the responses.</p> + +<p>The FOI request you received was made by someone using WhatDoTheyKnow. You can +simply reply to the request as you would any other request from an individual. +The only difference is that your response will be automatically published on +the Internet. +</p> +<p>If you have privacy or other concerns, please read the answers below. +You might also like to read the <a +href="/help/about">introduction to WhatDoTheyKnow</a> to find out more about what +the site does from the point of view of a user. You can also search the +site to find the authority that you work for, and view the status of +any requests made using the site. + +<p>Finally, we welcome comments and +thoughts from FOI officers, please <a href="/help/contact">get in touch</a>. +</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="responses">Why are you publishing responses to FOI requests? <a href="#responses">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>We think there are lots of benefits. Most importantly it will encourage the +public to be more interested and involved in the work of government. We +also hope that it will reduce the number of duplicate requests on any +subject that a public body will receive. Given that Freedom of Information +responses contain public information, which anybody could easily request +again from the public authority, we think there should be no reason not to +publish it widely. +</dd> + +<dt id="realpeople">Are the people making requests real people? <a href="#realpeople">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>Yes. For the purposes of keeping track of responses we use +computer-generated email addresses for each request. However, before +they can send a request, each user must register on the site with a +unique email address that we then verify. You can search this site and +find a page listing all requests that each person has made. +</dd> + +<dt id="email_only">An email isn't a sufficient address for an FOI request! <a href="#email_only">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>Yes it is. This +<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1142/response/2894/attach/5/20080806100741260.pdf">letter from the ICO to Rother District Council</a> gives guidance on the matter, specifically +in the context of requests made via WhatDoTheyKnow. +</dd> + +<dt id="vexatious">Aren't you making lots of vexatious requests? <a href="#vexatious">#</a> </dt> + +<dd><p>WhatDoTheyKnow is not making any requests. We are sending requests on +behalf of our users, who are real people making the requests. </p> +<p>Look at it like this - if lots of different people made requests from +different Hotmail email addresses, then you would not think that Microsoft were +making vexatious requests. It is exactly the same if lots of requests are made +via WhatDoTheyKnow. Moreover, since all requests are public it is much easier +for you to see if one of our users is making vexatious requests. </p> +<p>If that isn't enough for you, the +<a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/1142/response/2894/attach/5/20080806100741260.pdf">letter from the ICO to Rother District Council</a> gives some guidance on the matter.</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="spam_problems">I can see a request on WhatDoTheyKnow, but we never got it by email!<a href="#spam_problems">#</a> </dt> + +<dd><p>If a request appears on the site, then we have attempted to send it to +the authority by email. Any delivery failure messages will automatically +appear on the site. You can check the address we're using with the "View FOI +email address" link which appears on the page for the authority. <a +href="/help/contact">Contact us</a> if there is a better address we can +use.</p> +<p>Requests are sometimes not delivered because they are quietly removed by +"spam filters" in the IT department of the authority. Authorities can make +sure this doesn't happen by asking their IT departments to "whitelist" +any email from <strong>@whatdotheyknow.com</strong>. +If you <a href="/help/contact">ask us</a> we will resend any request, +and/or give technical details of delivery so an IT department can chase +up what happened to the message. +</p> +<p>Finally, you can respond to any request from your web browser, without +needing any email, using the "respond to request" link at the bottom of +each request page. +</dd> + +<dt id="days">How do you calculate the deadline shown on request pages?<a href="#days">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> +<p>The Freedom of Information Act says:</p> + +<blockquote><p>A public authority must comply with section 1(1) <strong>promptly</strong> and +in any event not later than the twentieth working day following the date of +receipt.</p></blockquote> + +<p>The nerdy detail of exactly how weekends are counted, and what happens if +the request arrives out of office hours, is just that - detail. What matters +here is that the law says authorities must respond <strong>promptly</strong>.</p> + +<p>If you've got a good reason why the request is going to take a while to +process, requesters find it really helpful if you can send a quick email with a +sentence or two saying what is happening. </p> + +<p>FOI officers often have to do a lot of <strong>hard work</strong> to answer +requests, and this is hidden from the public. We think it would help everyone +to have more of that complexity visible.</p> + +</dd> + +<dt id="days2">But really, how do you calculate the deadline?<a href="#days2">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> + +<p>Please read the answer to the previous question first. Legally, authorities +must respond <strong>promptly</strong> to FOI requests. If they fail to do that, +it is best if they show the hard work they are doing by explaining what is +taking the extra time to do. +</p> + +<p>That said, WhatDoTheyKnow does show the maximum legal deadline +for response on each request. Here's how we calculate it.</p> + +<ul> + +<li>If the day we deliver the request by email is a working day, we count that +as "day zero", even if it was delivered late in the evening. Days end at +midnight. We then count the next working day as "day one", and so on up to +<strong>20 working days</strong>.</li> + +<li>If the day the request email was delivered was a non-working day, we count +the next working day as "day one". Delivery is delivery, even if it happened on +the weekend. Some authorities <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/policy_regarding_body_scans#incoming-1100">disagree with this</a>, our lawyer disagrees with them. </li> + +<li>Requesters are encouraged to mark when they have <strong>clarified</strong> +their request so the clock resets, but sometimes they get this wrong. If you +see a problem with a particular request, let us know and we'll fix it.</li> +</ul> + +<p>The date thus calculated is shown on requests with the text "By law, +Liverpool City Council should normally have responded by...". There is only +one case which is not normal, see the next question about +<a href="#public_interest_test">public interest test time extensions</a>. +</p> + +<p>Schools are also a special case, which WhatDoTheyKnow displays differently. +</p> + +<ul> +<li>Since June 2009, <strong>schools</strong> have "20 working days +disregarding any working day which is not a school day, or 60 working days, +whichever is first" (<a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2009/draft/ukdsi_9780111477632_en_1">FOI (Time for Compliance with Request) Regulations 2009</a>). WhatDoTheyKnow indicates on requests to schools that the 20 day deadline is only +during term time, and shows them as definitely overdue after 60 working days +</li> +</ul> + +<p>If you're getting really nerdy about all this, read the <a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/timeforcompliance.pdf">detailed ICO guidance</a>. +Meanwhile, remember that the law says authorities must respond +<strong>promptly</strong>. That's really what matters.</p> + +</dd> + +<dt id="public_interest_test">How do you reflect time extensions for public interest tests?<a href="#public_interest_test">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> + +<p>The Freedom of Information Act lets authorities claim an indefinite time +extension when applying a <strong>public interest test</strong>. Information +Commissioner guidance says that it should only be used in "exceptionally +complex" cases +(<a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/foi_good_practice_guidance_4.pdf">FOI Good Practice Guidance No. 4</a>). +WhatDoTheyKnow doesn't specifically handle this case, which is why we use the +phrase "should normally have responded by" when the 20 working day time is +exceeded. +</p> + +<p>The same guidance says that, even in exceptionally complex cases, no +Freedom of Information request should take more than <strong>40 working days</strong> +to answer. WhatDoTheyKnow displays requests which are overdue by that much +with stronger wording to indicate they are definitely late. +</p> + +<p>The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act does not allow such a public +interest extension. WhatDoTheyKnow would like to see the law changed to either +remove the extension from the UK Act, or to reintroduce an absolute time limit +of 40 working days even with the extension (the House of Lords <a +href="http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2000-10-17&number=1&house=lords">voted +to remove</a> provision for such a time limit during the initial passage +of the UK Act through Parliament). +</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="large_file">How can I send a large file, which won't go by email?<a href="#large_file">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>Instead of email, you can respond to a request directly from your web +browser, including uploading a file. To do this, choose "respond to request" at +the bottom of the request's page. <a href="/help/contact">Contact us</a> if it +is too big for even that (more than, say, 50Mb). +</dd> + +<dt id="names">Why do you publish the names of civil servants and the text of emails? <a href="#names">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>We consider what officers or servants do in the course of their employment +to be public information.</dd> + +<dt id="takedown">Can you take down personal information about me? <a href="#takedown">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> + +<p>If you see any personal information about you on the site which you'd like +us to remove or hide, then please <a href="/help/contact">let us know</a>, +specifying exactly what information you believe to be problematic and why, and +where it appears on the site.</p> + +<p>If it is sensitive personal information that has been accidentally +posted, then we will usually remove it. Normally we will only consider +requests to remove personal information which come from the individual +concerned, but for sensitive information we would appreciate anyone +pointing out anything they see.</p> + +<p>We consider for various reasons that there is a strong public interest in +retaining the names of officers or servants of public authorities. We will only +remove such names in exceptional circumstances, such as where the disclosure of +a name and position of employment would substantially risk an individual's +safety. If you are such an official and you wish to have your name removed for +such an urgent reason, you must supply us with a request to do so from your +line manager. This request must demonstrate that a risk has been perceived +which outweighs the public interest, and must demonstrate that efforts have +been made to conceal the name on the organisation's own website.</p> + +<p>For all other requests we apply a public interest test to decide +whether information should be removed. +<a href="http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?ActiveTextDocId=3190650"> Section 32</a> +of the Data Protection Act 1998 permits us to do this, as the material we +publish is journalistic. We cannot easily edit many types of attachments (such +as PDFs, or Microsoft Word or Excel files), so we will usually ask +that authorities resend these with the personal information removed.</p> + +</dd> + +<dt id="mobiles">Do you publish email addresses or mobile phone numbers? <a href="#mobiles">#</a> </dt> + +<dd><p>To prevent spam, we automatically remove most emails and some mobile numbers from +responses to requests. Please <a href="/help/contact">contact us</a> if we've +missed one. +For technical reasons we don't always remove them from attachments, such as certain PDFs.</p> +<p>If you need to know what an address was that we've removed, please <a + href="/help/contact">get in touch with us</a>. Occasionally, an email address +forms an important part of a response and we will post it up in an obscured +form in an annotation. +</dd> + +<dt id="copyright"><a name="commercial"></a>What is your policy on copyright of documents?<a href="#copyright">#</a> </dt> + +<dd>Our Freedom of Information law is "applicant blind", so anyone in the +world can request the same document and get a copy of it. + +If you think our making a document available on the internet infringes your +copyright, you may <a href="/help/contact">contact us</a> and ask us +to take it down. However, to save tax payers' money by preventing duplicate +requests, and for good public relations, we'd advise you not to do that. +</dd> + +</dl> + + +</dl> + +<div id="hash_link_padding"></div> + + diff --git a/app/views/layouts/default.rhtml b/app/views/layouts/default.rhtml index 550ad4828..c5466964d 100644 --- a/app/views/layouts/default.rhtml +++ b/app/views/layouts/default.rhtml @@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ <div id="error"><%= flash[:error] %></div> <% end %> - <div id="<%= controller.controller_name + "_" + controller.action_name %>"> + <div id="<%= controller.controller_name + "_" + controller.action_name %>" class="controller_<%= controller.controller_name %>"> <%= yield :layout %> </div> </div> diff --git a/app/views/outgoing_mailer/followup.rhtml b/app/views/outgoing_mailer/followup.rhtml index c7ec02703..361a819a2 100644 --- a/app/views/outgoing_mailer/followup.rhtml +++ b/app/views/outgoing_mailer/followup.rhtml @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies: -http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/about#officers +http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/officers Please use this email address for all replies to this request: <%= @info_request.incoming_email %> diff --git a/app/views/outgoing_mailer/initial_request.rhtml b/app/views/outgoing_mailer/initial_request.rhtml index b2dce81e7..e0acdb4a0 100644 --- a/app/views/outgoing_mailer/initial_request.rhtml +++ b/app/views/outgoing_mailer/initial_request.rhtml @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies: -http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/about#officers +http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/help/officers Please use this email address for all replies to this request: <%= @info_request.incoming_email %> diff --git a/app/views/request/upload_response.rhtml b/app/views/request/upload_response.rhtml index e25d40ac7..0f8329f8a 100644 --- a/app/views/request/upload_response.rhtml +++ b/app/views/request/upload_response.rhtml @@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ <h1>Respond to the FOI request '<%=request_link(@info_request)%>' made by <%=user_link(@info_request.user) %></h1> <p> - Your response will <strong>appear on the Internet</strong>, <a href="/help/about#officers">read why</a> and answers to other questions. + Your response will <strong>appear on the Internet</strong>, <a href="/help/officers">read why</a> and answers to other questions. </p> <h2>Respond by email</h2> diff --git a/public/stylesheets/main.css b/public/stylesheets/main.css index 727a8e1d2..3e452dfb1 100644 --- a/public/stylesheets/main.css +++ b/public/stylesheets/main.css @@ -1028,20 +1028,25 @@ div#about_sidebar border-style: solid; } -div#help_about dt a, div#help_about h1 a, div#help_unhappy h1 a.hover_a +div.controller_help dt a, div.controller_help h1 a, div#help_unhappy h1 a.hover_a { text-decoration: none; font-size: 0.80em; color: #fff; background-color: #fff; } -div#help_about dt:hover > a, div#help_about h1:hover > a, div#help_unhappy h1:hover > a.hover_a { +div.controller_help dt:hover > a, div.controller_help h1:hover > a, div#help_unhappy h1:hover > a.hover_a { color: #0000ee; } -div#help_about dt:hover > a:hover, div#help_about h1:hover > a:hover, div#help_unhappy h1:hover > a.hover_a:hover { +div.controller_help dt:hover > a:hover, div.controller_help h1:hover > a:hover, div#help_unhappy h1:hover > a.hover_a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } +#hash_link_padding +{ + margin-bottom: 10em; +} + #contact_preamble { /*width: 224px;*/ width: 33em; @@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ Link to API help - mention history on it +- Chain links to next help page +- "Can I help out" a bit invisible + Tag search |