The Council provides information requested under the terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. This Act also provides advice and assistance to the public on how to access appropriate information.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act means that members of the public can get access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities. This means that all public authorities have to comply with the Act. It also states where information should not be disclosed.

Any person who makes a request to a public authority for information must be informed whether the public authority holds that information, and subject to exemptions, must be supplied with that information.

Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004

The Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 allow information regarding the environment to be disclosed to any applicant. The procedure for applying for the information is similar to that for Freedom of Information, apart from the fact that a request can be made verbally. Find out more about the Environmental Information Regulations.

FOI Policy and Guidance

The following documents provide further information on Freedom of Information at Dumfries and Galloway Council:

•  Freedom of Information - Policy [776kb]
•  Freedom of Information - Administration Procedures [38kb]
•  Freedom of Information - Guidance for Staff [112kb]
•  Freedom of Information - Guidance for Elected Members [64kb]
•  Freedom of Information - Review Sheet [34kb]

Response Log and Stats

Our Council publishes a log of responses to FOI requests on a monthly basis. Each monthly response log contains the date on which requests were submitted, a summary of the request and the date on which we responded. You can also find out whether the information was disclosed for each response and if any exemptions applied. View our Monthly FOI Response Logs.

You can also  download a FOI Stats Comparison for 2005-2012 [35kb] which includes figures for:

• Number of FOI Requests to Dumfries and Galloway Council
• Number of FOI Reviews by Dumfries and Galloway Council
• Number of FOI decisions by Scottish Information Commissioner

Publication Scheme

Councils are also required to produce and maintain a publication scheme which is approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner. The purpose of the scheme is to provide you with details of the range of information that we routinely publish.

The scheme also provides details of how you can access this information, and tells you whether it is available free, or if there is a charge for the information. Find out more about our Publication Scheme.