The following persons, all experts in their fields, will be speaking and taking questions at the 5th Annual Freedom of Information Conference.

Delegates will have an opportunity to network with speakers and delegates during the lunch break, coffee breaks and at the wine reception.

FOI: how far we have come, and where we are going Graham Smith Deputy Information Commissioner, ICO

Conference topic:  Graham Smith reviews trends over the first four years of freedom of information and environmental information in the UK and explains the strategic approach now taken by the ICO to encourage greater openness in the public sector.  His talk considers relevant cases and legislative developments which demonstrate the boundaries being set for the operation of the FOI regime.

Biography:   Graham Smith was appointed Deputy Information Commissioner in 2001, when the functions of the former Data Protection Commissioner were extended to cover freedom of information.  One of two Deputy Commissioners, Graham has lead responsibility for promoting and enforcing freedom of information law and managerial responsibility for the Information Commissioner’s offices in Belfast and Cardiff.

Conference topic:  Under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, the Information Tribunal will become part of the General Regulatory Chamber.  John Angel discusses these new changes to the appeals process and their practical effect on the work of FOI professionals.

Biography:  John Angel will become the Acting President of the new General Regulatory Chamber.  He currently presides over the Information Tribunal.  He is also a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Computer & Communications Law, Centre for Commercial Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, and he was formerly Head of Online Legal Services at global law firm Clifford Chance.

FOI issues in litigation and in projects Rosemary Jay Partner, Pinsent Masons

Conference topic:  Increasingly organisations are facing the need to deal with the management of FOI issues during the conduct of major litigation and in the course of managing multi-partner projects.  Rosemary’s talk looks at how decisions on disclosure should be carried out in a structured manner and reviews pitfalls and areas to avoid.

Biography:  Rosemary Jay is a Partner and the Head of Information Law Practice at Pinsent Masons.  She advises clients on privacy, data protection, human rights and access to information.  Prior to joining the firm, Rosemary worked at the Office of the Data Protection Registrar, where she headed the Legal Department for 12 years.  Rosemary is the author of Data Protection Law and Practice (Sweet and Maxwell) and is a Member of the Editorial Board of Freedom of Information journal.

Environmental information: navigating the complexities and pitfalls Charles Brasted Senior Associate in the Public Law and Policy Practice at Lovells LLP

Conference topic:  The Environmental Information Regulations may be less well-known than FOIA, but, given the increasingly wide definition of environmental information, and the subtle but significant differences from the FOIA provisions, understanding them is crucial.  Charles Brasted explores the EIR regime, and the potential complexities and pitfalls to which it gives rise.

Biography:  Charles Brasted is a Senior Associate in the Public Law and Policy Practice at Lovells LLP, specialising in commercial judicial review, statutory appeals and other public law disputes (including contentious public procurement), administrative and public law, commercial human rights, information rights and public policy.  Charles acts for public authorities, regulators, commercial clients and trade associations across a broad range of heavily regulated industry sectors, including energy, financial services, gambling, PFI/projects, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and transport.

Vexatious requests: when enough is enough Hazel Grant Partner, Bird & Bird Hazel Grant

Conference topic:  Hazel Grant explains the new ICO guidance on vexatious requests and considers how to use Section 14 to effectively to manage your FOI workload.  Hazel also reviews the key decisions from the ICO and the Information Tribunal.

Biography:  Hazel Grant is a Partner in Bird & Bird’s Commercial and Data Protection Groups, where she advises on public procurement and contract law for IT projects, data protection and freedom of information compliance.  She also advises on data exploitation projects in the public sector.  Hazel is a member of the Editorial Board of Freedom of Information journal.

Lessons learned from the FOI decisions Jim Thorne Senior Associate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Conference topic:  The decisions by the Information Commissioner and the Information Tribunal continue to shape and define freedom of information legislation.  In this talk Jim Thorne reviews important decisions of the last year and discusses the practical implications of those decisions on the day-to-day work of those dealing with FOI issues.

Biography:  Jim Thorne is a Senior Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.  He specialises in freedom of information work, as well as in environmental, health and safety and product liability matters.  Jim’s recent work includes advising high profile public authorities about their obligations under the freedom of information regime, as well as businesses and organisations about the application and scope of the regime, including how to protect their information when dealing with public authorities.

Conference topic:  The National Archives has the functional lead on information management across government.  It was responsible for drafting the Section 46 FOI code of practice on records management and carries out FOI records management investigations on behalf of the ICO.

Additionally, The National Archives conducts Information Management Assessments (IMAs) of core government departments.  These assessments raise the profile of information management and act as a health check on information management practices.  The assessments also consider whether the governance and culture within an organisation support effective information management.

This special session reviews the practical application of the relevant cases from the ICO and the Information Tribunal, as well as the findings of the IMAs.

Biographies:  Dr Teresa Bastow is Head of The National Archives’ FOI Centre.  She was responsible for establishing the Centre in late 2004, in preparation for the full implementation of the FOI Act.  Prior to this she worked as an Information Management Consultant within The National Archives providing advice to government departments on records and information management and overseeing the selection of records for permanent preservation.

Marcia Jackson has been Head of Standards at The National Archives for the past 5 years.  She has responsibility for information management across the public sector.  Marcia runs various assessment programmes, including The National Archives’ flagship Information Assessment Programme, regulation of the key information traders under the Information Fair Trader Scheme and Section 46 Assessments undertaken on behalf of the Information Commissioner.  Prior to joining The National Archives, Marcia was responsible for setting and measuring strategic targets for Customs and Excise.

Chair Person Hazel Moffat Partner, DLA Piper

Hazel Moffat is a Partner at DLA Piper and is a key member of the firm’s Information Law Group.  She specialises particularly in freedom of information, data protection, data sharing and privacy.

Hazel has worked with both public and private sector clients on all aspects of information law including central government departments on major data sharing projects, global financial institutions, parliamentary authorities and the UK Information Commissioner.  Hazel is a member of the Editorial Board of Freedom of Information journal.