Or perhaps you’ve read a news story and wondered about the facts behind it: for example, just how many passport applications are made every month?
Maybe you have an interest in a piece of land near your house, or you’re trying to uncover facts about something that happened many years ago.
These are just a few examples of when the Freedom of Information Act could come in handy. Here in the UK, anyone has the right to ask for information from any public body.
You can ask central and local government departments, the NHS, the armed forces, state-funded schools and the regulators of bodies such as charities, businesses and other organisations for information – and if they hold it, in most cases, they must respond.
Not everyone is aware that they have this right, and if they do, they might not know where to begin. That’s why, back in 2008, we launched WhatDoTheyKnow, a site to promote the Freedom of Information process and make it as easy as possible to send requests.
Like many of our sites, it allows you to make contact with a public body, and also publishes your correspondence online so that others can benefit from your findings.
