Freedom of Information appeals could become legally binding

New push to strengthen FOI appeal rules Image caption, Freedom of Information rules could be strengthened By Julia Gregory Reporting from South West Published 7 hours ago Appeal rulings issued after Freedom of Information requests are rejected could become legally binding. The scrutiny management committee has asked for changes to the law which would mean decisions by the appeals panel would be legally binding. Committee president Deputy Andy Sloan said the appeal panel process, which was introduced in 2022, was "only meaningful if its decisions can be enforced". Sloan said: "Our objective has always been to address that weakness without creating an unnecessarily complex or bureaucratic system." More news stories for Guernsey Listen to the latest news for Guernsey Before the changes could become law two areas of the code concerning the public-interest test and exemptions needed to be clarified by the policy and resources committee which has responsbility for the FOI code, he said. Sloan said Freedom of Information , which was introduced in Guernsey in 2013, was "an important part of public accountability". He said: "Ultimately, this is about ensuring the public has confidence in the Freedom of Information process. "An independent appeals mechanism must be more than advisory to provide meaningful accountability." Follow BBC Guernsey on X , external , Facebook , external and Instagram , external . Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk , external . Related topics Freedom of Information States of Guernsey More on this story Scrutiny proposing to toughen up FOI code Published 29 January States working to cut delays as FOI requests soar Published 15 February Guernsey needs FOI law with 'real authority' Published 6 November 2020 Related external link States of Guernsey