The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000 aims to make information held by public authorities more accessible to the public, and gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information. The FOI Act places two main duties on public authorities:
In addition, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 provide access to environmental information. Both the FOI Act and the EIRs are enforced by the Information Commissioner, www.ico.gov.uk
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires the Northern Lighthouse Board to adopt, maintain, publish and review from time to time a publication scheme. Our publication scheme has been developed under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and has been agreed by the Information Commissioner.
Information is grouped under the following classes:
Information on the powers as the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man, organisational information, structures, locations and contacts is contained within the About Us section of this website.
Financial Information, NLB Report & Accounts and our Suppliers details are contained within the Background, Funding and Supplying NLB sections of this website.
The Board’s 2009/10 Objectives, our Plans for our service provision for the future, and the performance of our Aids to Navigation can be found within the following sections of this website.
Committee membership, dates of Committee meetings and minutes of meetings can be found within the Board Business section of this website.
The Board’s current policies and procedures used within the organisation to deliver our objectives can be found in the following sections of this website.
For information held in registers required by law, and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the authority please write to: The Compliance Officer Northern Lighthouse Board 84 George Street Edinburgh EH2 3DA Email: FOIenquiries@nlb.org.uk Fax: 0131 473 2436
Information on some of the services we provide can be found in the following sections of this website.
Northern Lighthouse Board’s responses to Freedom of Information requests can be found in our Disclosure LogIf you ask for information available in our publication scheme to be provided in paper format it may be necessary to make a charge. Each case is considered separately. For example, if a large amount of photocopying is required or if the cost of posting a large volume of paperwork is high. You will be advised in advance of the reason for the charge and the cost itself.
If you are looking for information not contained in our publication scheme you can make a request to: The Compliance Officer Northern Lighthouse Board 84 George Street Edinburgh EH2 3DA Email: FOIenquiries@nlb.org.ukFax: 0131 473 2436 Requests for information must be made in writing (for example, letter, fax or email). Please state your name and the address for correspondence, and describe clearly the information requested. When responding to requests for information, there are procedural requirements set out in the FOI Act which public authorities must follow. There are also valid reasons for withholding information, which are known as exemptions. We aim to reply to you promptly and are obliged to provide a response within 20 working days.
The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF www.ico.gov.uk