Bovine TB: TB Advisory Group - Publication scheme
1. Introduction
1.1 The TB Advisory Group is an ad hoc advisory group of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The TB Advisory Group has been established to help deliver the aims of the Government strategic framework for the sustainable control of bovine TB in Great Britain.
1.2 The TB Advisory Group’s Terms of Reference are:
- advising on development and implementation of bovine TB control policies in England providing in particular a practical perspective;
- working with interested organisations to take account of wider views in developing advice and to help promote a shared understanding;
- responding to requests for advice from Ministers and the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO), and identifying and advising on issues of concern to interested organisations.
1.3 The senior position in the TB Advisory Group is the Chairman, Peter Jinman. Mr Jinman was appointed on 20th July 2006 for 3 years and will play a leading role in Defra’s engagement with interested organisations. He will report to the CVO and Defra Ministers.
1.4 The Advisory Group is comprised of 4 members with expertise in at least one of the following areas: veterinary medicine, farmed animal production, wildlife interests, and animal welfare interests.
1.5 The Secretary of the TB Advisory Group is Miss Fiona Cummins who is responsible for maintaining this publication scheme on a day-to-day basis. Please contact: Miss Fiona Cummins, Defra, c/o 6th Floor Millbank, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR.
2. TB Advisory Group’s commitment to openness
2.1 Agendas and summaries of TB Advisory Group meetings and discussions will be published on Defra’s website within 2 months of a meeting. These documents will provide a public record of the Group’s work.
2.2 The Group aims to meet up to six times a year in various locations.
2.3 The Group is also committed to making as much of its work open to public scrutiny as possible. In line with Cabinet Office guidance, public bodies should produce and distribute widely information on their role and achievements making full use of the internet. The Group is also required, in accordance with Government policy on openness, to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and the Environmental Impact Regulations 2004 (EIR).
2.4 The TB Advisory Group’s publication scheme is approved by the Information Commissioner and will be reviewed periodically. It is intended to be a living document which is updated and developed in the light of public feedback or any change relating to the TB Advisory Group’s remit. The publication scheme of the TB Advisory Group will be reviewed in May 2009 and will be reviewed again every twelve months.
2.5 Copyright for all publications produced by the TB Advisory Group belongs to the Group.
3. Freedom of information act 2000
3.1 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) received Royal Assent on 30 November 2000. It gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, sets out exemptions from that right and places a number of obligations on public authorities. The chairman of the TB Advisory Group was appointed by government ministers so his work and the work of the Group is subject to the provisions of the Act. The general right of access to the information held by a public authority is provided for under section 1 of the Act. Any person wishing to exercise this right, which came into force on 1 January 2005, will have to make a written request to the public authority. Any person who makes such a request must be informed whether the public authority holds that information and, subject to exemptions, will be supplied with that information.
3.2 However, the Act provides another mechanism for gaining access to information. Every public authority is required to adopt and maintain a publication scheme. A publication scheme is a guide detailing types of information which are to be made routinely available. This guide should provide the public with a simpler means of obtaining information and reduce the need for public authorities to respond to requests under section 1.
3.3 A publication scheme must set out the classes of information contained within the scheme, the manner in which the information is intended to be published, and whether or not a charge will be made for the information. The purpose of a scheme is to ensure a significant amount of information is easily and routinely available. Schemes are intended to encourage organisations to publish more information proactively and to develop a greater culture of openness.
3.4 We shall publish information in accordance with the scheme and shall monitor and review its operation. Please note:
- this scheme will be a living document, which will be modified and developed as new information becomes available and in light of public comment and feedback.
- this scheme is not retrospective, and we do not undertake to publish information held by the TB Advisory Group which was generated before 20 July 2006, the date the Chairman was appointed and the TB Advisory Group came into being.
4. Classes of information to be made available now
4.1 Class 1
i) Membership details |
Information in this class is available from the TB Advisory Group’s website or from the address below. |
No charge will be made for the provision of information. |
4.2 Class 2
i) Diary of meetings that involve the TB Advisory Group |
Information in this class is available from the TB Advisory Group’s website or from the address below. |
No charge will be made for the provision of information. |
4.3 Class 3
i) Advice to the CVO and Defra Ministers |
Information in this class is available from the address below. |
No charge will be made for the provision of information |
5. Exemption from publication at present
5.1
i) Summaries of some discussions with stakeholder groups |
There will be occasions when the Chairman and the Group will meet external stakeholders to engage in free and frank discussions. There are exemptions which recognise that disclosure of these discussions could inhibit the free and frank provision of advice. These discussions are for information-gathering and to listen to the wider views, which will inform the Group’s advice to the CVO and Ministers. |
6. Overview
6.1 Information available online or via post to the public regarding the TB Advisory Group:
- Membership details
- Terms of Reference
- Diary of meetings
- Agendas and summaries of meetings
- Advice to the CVO and Defra Ministers
6.2 Information currently unavailable to the public regarding the TB Advisory Group:
- Summaries of some discussions with stakeholder groups
7. Contact details
7.1 The TB Advisory Group routinely publishes information on its website.
7.2 In addition the Group’s Secretariat can provide information in electronic file or hard paper copy, available on request from:
TB Advisory Group Secretariat,
Defra,
c/o 6th Floor Millbank,
Nobel House,
17 Smith Square,
London,
SW1P 3JRTelephone: 020 7238 6368
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Page last modified:
1 July 2008