Making the most of WhatDoTheyKnow

The Independent recently got a great story from citizen FOI website whatdotheyknow.com about MPs running tabs in the bars at parliament.

It just goes to show what a great resource whatdotheyknow.com is. If you haven’t used it yet, have a look at it ASAP.

The site allows you to:

  • Make requests to any public authority in the UK
  • Browse past requests made through the site
  • Get FOI advice from its large community of users

I’ve been using it quite a lot recently and have a couple of tips to help you make the most use of it. Continue reading

Welsh Government to publish data on patients’ funding requests (and tips)

WalesOnline reports on confirmation by the Welsh Government that it is to publish data on patients’ requests for funding for drugs, following FOI requests that revealed “large disparities in the number of requests for funding for cancer drugs not approved by the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) or the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

“Some health boards refused two-thirds of these funding requests, while others declined just 15%.”

The data is to be published on a health board basis, rather than at a national level. Continue reading