Government wants to charge for Freedom of Information requests

The government's asking for your views on charging for Freedom of Information requests in future.

The requests give people access to information free of charge, promoting transparency and accountability.

Cabinet Office Minister David Ashford says last year 982 requests were lodged and so the government is now considering introducing a fee or limiting the number of requests people can make.

This year, free requests have revealed bonuses paid to staff by the Department for Enterprise, the number of people who use a scrapped bus service to the Sound, and the amount of government money recovered after a TT merchandising supplier went bust.

The consultation runs until Friday, May 9 and you can take part here.