Environmental Information

The Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) 2004 came into force on 1 January 2005 and gave members of the public the right to access environmental information held by public authorities.  Unlike the Freedom of Information Act 2000 a request can be made by letter,  e-mail, telephone or in person.  The regulations apply to most public authorities, but they can also apply to any organisation or person carrying out a public administration function, and any organisation or person under the control of a public authority who has environmental responsibilities. 

This can include some private companies or public private partnerships, for example companies involved in energy, water, waste and transport.

Environmental information is divided into six main areas:

• The state of the elements of the environment, such as air, water, soil, land and the animal and human populations. 
• Emissions and discharges, noise, energy, radiation, waste and other such substances  
• Measures and activities such as policies, plans and agreements affecting or likely to affect the state of the elements of the environment  
• Reports, cost-benefit and economic analyses  
• The state of human health and safety, contamination of the food chain  
• Cultural sites and built structures (to the extent they may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment)    

To see how a request is considered under the Environmental Information Regulations please see the Information Commissioner's Request Processing Flowchart