VendorsExamsEnterprise
Support
Request an ExamContact UsFAQ

BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information Free Sample Questions

Description

Covers Freedom of Information Act legislation and codes of practice, its scope and principles, records management and handling requests, exemptions from disclosure, and appeals.

12 free sample questions114 in the full practice test

Try simulator

PC-FOI Sample Questions

  1. Question 1

    Beginner

    The Legislation, Codes of Practice and Ethics within Public Authorities · Governance in a public authority

    An Information Manager at a local council is reviewing their internal governance structure for managing physical and digital records. They want to align their policies with the official guidelines established under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Which of the following best describes the legal status of the Section 46 Code of Practice on Records Management?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: C

    The Section 46 Code of Practice provides guidance to public authorities on keeping, managing, and destroying records. It outlines good practice but does not have statutory force. Non-compliance itself is not an offence, but poor records management can lead to breaches of the statutory duties within the FOIA.

    flowchart TD A[FOIA 2000] --> B(Section 45 Code) A --> C(Section 46 Code) B --> D[Handling Requests] C --> E[Records Management] D -.-> F[Good Practice - Non-Statutory] E -.-> F

  2. Question 2

    Intermediate

    The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act · Schedule 1 and its amendments

    A newly established limited company is entirely owned by the Department for Education (a government department). The company operates independently to provide educational consulting services. Under which provision of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is this company most likely covered?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    Section 6 of the FOIA defines publicly-owned companies. A company is a publicly-owned company if it is wholly owned by the Crown or by a public authority listed in Schedule 1 (other than a government department). Because the Department for Education is a government department (representing the Crown), a company entirely owned by it falls under Section 6.

  3. Question 3

    IntermediateMultiple answers

    The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act · FOIA and the private sector

    A private waste management company, EcoDisposal Ltd, has signed a contract with a local borough council to manage municipal recycling services. A local journalist submits a Freedom of Information request directly to EcoDisposal Ltd asking for the operational costs of the recycling plant and the company's overall profit margins. Which TWO of the following statements are correct regarding this situation? (Select TWO)

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answers: C, E

    Private companies are not public authorities under FOIA. However, information they hold on behalf of a public authority (such as performance data for a public contract) is considered to be held by the public authority. The request should be directed to the public authority (the council), which will then retrieve the relevant information from the contractor.

  4. Question 4

    Beginner

    The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act · FOIA principles

    True or False: Under the core principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, a public authority is permitted to require an applicant to explain their motives or reasons for requesting information before processing the request.

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    One of the fundamental principles of the FOIA is that requests are applicant-blind. An applicant does not need to provide a reason for wanting the information, and public authorities cannot require them to justify their request before processing it.

  5. Question 5

    Advanced

    The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act · Who and what is covered

    A government minister uses a personal email account to discuss the formulation of a new public policy with external advisors. A freedom of information request is submitted to the minister's department asking for these specific email communications. How should the department evaluate whether this information is 'held' under the FOIA?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: B

    Information held in private email accounts (or on personal devices) by public officials is considered 'held' by the public authority under FOIA if it relates to the official business of the authority. The physical location or ownership of the device does not exclude the substantive information from the scope of the Act.

  6. Question 6

    Beginner

    The Scope and Principles of the Freedom of Information Act · Who and what is covered

    An applicant submits an FOI request asking for a dataset of traffic incidents. They explicitly state they want the information provided in a comma-separated values (CSV) file. The local authority currently holds the data in a proprietary database system. Under Section 11 of the FOIA, what is the authority's obligation regarding the format?

    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: D

    Under Section 11 of the FOIA, if an applicant expresses a preference for receiving the information in a specific format (e.g., electronic vs. hard copy, or a specific file type like CSV), the public authority must comply with that preference so far as is reasonably practicable.

Register free for 6 more questions

Or unlock all 114 PC-FOI questions with explanations, timed mode and flashcards.

Related practice tests

All BCS practice exams