Dear members of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information

I was pleased to know of the 2012 Justice Select Committee's report that
investigated the Freedom of Information Act and considered expert advice from
senior politicians, civil servants, journalists and NGOs.  I find it unlikely
that the conclusions from that report - that the Freedom of Information Act
`enhances the UK's democratic system' - can have altered so quickly and
dramatically as to require another investigation, to the extent that another
investigation is justified in this time of Government budget cuts.
Nonetheless, I would like to submit evidence to this investigation as I believe
the Freedom of Information Act to be a crucial element of our modern
democracy.

Please follow this link to the Justice Committee report and consider it my
submission.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmjust/96/9602.htm

As a university faculty member affected by potential freedom-of-information
requests, I am all for sensible limits on frivolous or malicious applications
of the Act that might waste resources, but I believe that the Act in its
current form already appropriately limits such applications; in particular
there is an explicit exemption for vexatious requests.  In addition, the
existing Justice Committee report contains sensible recommendations for changes
to construal of the Act so as to include under the rubric of vexatious requests
all frivolous requests, and also repeated requests from one and the same
individual if that individual has established a pattern of vexatious
requesting.  What is needed is not yet another review, but rather sensible
regulatory and/or legislative attention to the Justice Committee's 2012
report.

Although the Freedom of Information Act, like most tools of democracy, carries
a potential for abuse, it remains a vital window for public scrutiny of
government.

Kind regards
Matthew Belmonte