1. The UK used to be a mind-your-own-business society. The public had no particular right to know anything very much, even about things that affected them. That is changing. The Freedom of Information Act that came into force at the beginning of this month requires public bodies to be far more open with the information they have. Unless there is a good reason for particular information to be confidential, anyone who requests it should be sent it.
2. The law offers rights to access information held by about 100,000 public authorities, including central government, local councils, the police, individual schools and GP surgeries. So if a voluntary organisation wants to know the basis for a youth service's grants policy, or someone wants to wade through the crime and disorder strategy, or snuggle down for bedtime reading with the local Connexions quarterly management returns, they only have to ask.
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