Keynote speaker FOI and the New Information Commissioner Graham Smith Deputy Information Commissioner and Director of FOI, ICO

Conference topic:  In June 2009 a new Information Commissioner was appointed. In his keynote address, Graham Smith explains the new impetus and direction of the ICO following the shakeup, and looks in particular at case handling, monitoring and enforcement.

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.

Prior to that Graham enjoyed a career in local government, working for 4 local authorities over a 20 year period. He holds a law degree from the University of Sheffield and a Diploma in Local Government Law and Practice. He was admitted as a Solicitor in 1982. He joined the Information Commissioner’s Office from Oldham MBC, where he was Assistant Chief Executive and Solicitor to the Council.

One of two Deputy Commissioners who together head up the ICO’s policy and strategy functions, Graham has lead responsibility for FOI and access to environmental information.

Handling Requests under the Environmental Information Regulations Clive Porro Head of Information Rights, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Conference topic:  Public authorities continue to struggle with the distinctions between requests under the Environmental Information Regulations and those under the Freedom of Information Act.  Clive Porro discusses the latest issues surrounding requests for environmental information, and gives delegates practical tips for managing them.

Biography:  Clive Porro is Head of Information Rights at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and has been a civil servant for nearly twenty years.  In addition to a number of policy jobs dealing with horticulture and fisheries in the former Ministry of Agriculture, Clive has also served as private secretary to a number of ministers and been seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Brussels, HM Treasury and the Regional Development Agency.  Prior to taking up his current post in 2006, he was a clerk to the Public Administration Select Committee in the House of Commons.

FOI in the Litigation Context Jamie Potter Associate, Hogan Lovells LLP

Conference topic:  People bringing court actions are now using FOI requests to obtain information which might be useful in their case.  Jamie Potter considers the issues that Information Officers must address when answering these requests.

Biography:  Jamie is a member of Hogan Lovells’ UK and EU Public Law and Policy team, specialising in commercial judicial review, information rights, parliamentary practice and procedure, contentious public procurement and commercial human rights.  He acts for and against central Government departments, regulators and other public authorities across a broad range of heavily regulated industry sectors.  He also acts on a pro bono basis for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition in respect of a number of freedom of information requests made concerning the UK's involvement in extraordinary rendition.

From Bowbrick to Best Practice?  Life after an ICO Practice Recommendation Andrew Goodfellow Senior Information Governance Officer, Nottingham City Council

Conference topic:  Nottingham City Council (‘NCC’) was the first organisation to receive a records management practice recommendation under the FOI Act, and as such, it was subject to vast public scrutiny.  In this talk, Andrew Goodfellow discusses how NCC took the recommendations on board and transformed the FOI practice of the organisation.

Biography:  Andrew Goodfellow is a Senior Information Governance Officer at Nottingham City Council, one of the eight core cities, which are England’s major regional cities.  He has worked in the Information Governance Office for more than 3 years and has developed a wealth of experience in FOI, EIR, DPA, RIPA and data sharing practice within a large public authority.  Andrew has played an integral part in the creation and development of the procedures and practices that have helped raise the bar for information rights in this public authority.

Retention of Documents Hazel Grant Partner, Bristows

Conference topic:  The Section 46 Code of Practice on the Management of Records provides a framework for authorities to manage their records, and retention schedules are a key feature of good records management.  Hazel Grant discusses practical considerations for defining how long to keep particular records and how best to manage their disposal.

Biography:   Hazel Grant is a Partner at Bristows, specialising in public procurements, complex information technology projects and information law.  Information law forms a major part of Hazel’s work and she advises on data protection compliance, government data sharing projects, responses to freedom of information requests and handling appeals to decision notices.  Hazel is an editor of the Encyclopedia of Data Protection and Privacy, a contributing editor (on data protection and freedom of information) for the Encyclopedia of Information Technology Law (both Sweet and Maxwell).  She is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Freedom of Information journal.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Records Management and FOI Compliance Clare Cowling Senior Compliance Adviser (Information and Records Management), Transport for London

Conference topic:  A successful FOI programme must have good records management, such as knowing what information is held, where it is, what format it is held in, its accessibility, and who has responsibility for it.  In this talk, Clare gives practical examples of how all of these record management goals can be achieved.

Biography:  Clare Cowling began her career as an archivist in the Archives Office of Tasmania, then moved on to the National Archives of Australia.  After moving to the UK, she became the Records Manager for the University of London, King’s College London, as well as the Law Society, which had just implemented a voluntary FOI Code of Practice.  She was then appointed Records Manager for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulatory arm of the Law Society, in 2007.  In 2009 Clare took up the post of Senior Compliance Adviser (Information and Records Management) within the Information Governance directorate at Transport for London, working with the Information Access and Compliance Team.

The Interaction Between FOI and Data Protection Liz Fitzsimons Senior Associate, Eversheds

Conference topic:  Understanding the relationship between FOI and data protection is essential for information professionals in the public sector.  Liz reviews how these two laws interrelate, looks at the latest views on the definition of “personal data” and discusses how to determine when data should and should not be released.

Biography:  Liz Fitzsimons is a Senior Associate at Eversheds specialising in data protection and freedom of information.  She works for a wide range of clients, both public and private sector, including in the education, health, transport, energy and government arenas.  Liz has experience in helping clients with complex and sensitive information requests, internal appeals, defending complaints to the ICO and of working with the Information Tribunal.  She has advised on publication schemes, FOI planning and strategy, contractual provisions and negotiations, confidentiality arrangements and related data rooms, policies and procedures.  Liz also advises on EIR issues.

Setting Up an Effective Publication Scheme Mike Carty Head of Information Rights Unit, Department for Transport

Conference topic:  The Information Commissioner has released his first report reviewing the publication schemes in various government organisations, saying that most of them need vast improvements.  However, the Department for Transport is one of the two shining stars in the report, and in this talk Mike Carty discusses the lessons learned while setting up an effective publication scheme.

Biography:  Mike Carty is the Head of Information Rights Unit at the Department for Transport, responsible for FOIA, EIR and DPA.  Mike was appointed in 2003 to lead on FOI implementation, and was able to draw upon his past experiences as Parliamentary Clerk and various roles in IT, IM and internal consultancy in taking forward the work to prepare for FOIA.  His team provides advice and support to central units and co-ordinates best practice across seven executive agencies and the wider transport family of organisations.  The team has recently assumed overall responsibility for records management within the newly created Knowledge and Information Management division in DfT, continuing to promote proactive publication of information.