7 minutes | Thursday, 20 March 2025
We heard this week how government is considering charging people to submit Freedom of Information requests, as the number of 'complex' requests taking more than 18 hours to process is growing.A consultation has opened asking whether charges should be introduced - or other measures such as cost limits or a limit on the amount of requests individuals can submit in a single year. FOI requests allow individuals to ask public authorities for access to information held by them and, currently, you can submit them free of charge.In this edition of Newscast, Christian Jones speaks to Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford about why government is bringing this matter forward for consultation.