Dear Mr Kinnear

SUBJECT: Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your e-mail of 14 June, asking for a copy of the speech delivered by Michael Wills at the FOI Live Conference on 11 June 2009. You also asked for a list of documents relevant to considerations about making the Local Government Association a public authority that is subject to FOI.

With regard to the first part of your request, the Department did not record the speech as it was delivered. However, we do have a copy of the notes the Minister had with him while delivering the speech and these are attached.

We do not hold a list of documents relevant to considerations on designating the Local Government Association under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, you might be interested to know that the Government will shortly publish its response to the public consultation which sought views over whether the Government should use the power under Section 5 of FOIA to extend the coverage of the Act. The Government has committed to publish its response before the summer, so I would recommend that you keep an eye on our website for the document. I will also aim to send you an email at your address above once the response has been published to alert you to it.

As part of our obligations under the FOIA, the Ministry of Justice has an independent review process. If you are dissatisfied with this decision, you can write to request an internal review. The internal review will be carried out by someone who did not make the original decision, and they will re-assess how the Department handled the original request. If the original decision was erroneous, a new decision can be substituted in its place.

If you wish to request an internal review, please write or send an email to the Data Access and Compliance Unit within two months of the date of this letter, at the following address:

Data Access and Compliance Unit

Information Directorate

Ministry of Justice

6th Floor, 6.23

102 Petty France

London

SW1H 9AJ

e-mail: [email address]

If you remain dissatisfied after an internal review decision, you have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner's Office under Section 50 of the FOIA. You can contact the Information Commissioner's Office at the following address:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Internet: https://www.ico.gov.uk/Global/contact_us.aspx

Yours sincerely

Miss K Goburdhun