The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires public authorities to adopt and maintain a Publication Scheme. The EIRs also include a requirement to make some environmental information available proactively. The main requirement of all Publications Schemes is to specify the Classes of Information a public authority has committed to publish, to specify how the information is made available, and whether it is available free of charge or upon payment. In this context, “publish” simply means, “to make publicly available” in whatever format the information exists (for example as an electronic or hardcopy document, printed book, video or leaflet).
In line with section 20 of the Act, the Information Commissioner has approved a new Model Publication Scheme to be adopted by all public authorities from 1 January 2009. The MOD is responsible for and has adopted the following Model Publication Schemes for:
- Government Departments
- Armed Forces
- Police Authorities
- Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs)
The Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence Police and the NDPBs associated with MOD are listed separately as public authorities in Schedule 1 of the Act.
The seven Classes of Information specified in these Schemes are as follows:
- Who we are and what we do
- What we spend and how we spend it
- What are our priorities and how are we doing
- How we make decisions
- Our policies and procedures
- Lists and Registers
- The services we offer
To view the types of information that we make available in the Scheme, please see the MOD Publication Scheme Guide to Information.
For full information about the Model Publication Scheme 2009, please visit the ICO web site. The scheme is also available in Welsh.
Responsibility for the MOD Publication Scheme
The Chief Information Officer (CIO) - Head of Corporate Information has overall responsibility for the Ministry of Defence Publication Scheme.
The person responsible for the Publication Scheme on a day to day basis is:
CIO-CI-Access Ops2
1st Floor, Zone N
Main Building
Whitehall
London SW1A 2HW
United Kingdom
To contact the MOD FOI Team, please use our FOI forms at the link opposite.
How to search the Publication Scheme
Simple Search
To search for an information item, type one or more descriptive words in the "Search for" box, and press the "Search Publication Scheme" button. The results of your search will then appear.
Advanced Search
If you wish to refine your results by date class or organisation, click on the "Advanced Search" to reveal the advanced search options.