About the Act 

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act came fully into force on 1 January 2005. It was introduced to promote a culture of openness and accountability amongst public authorities by giving people rights of access to the information authorities hold. These rights should help better public understanding of how authorities carry out their duties, why they make the decisions they do and how they spend public money.

The GDC Publication Scheme

The Publication Scheme gives information about the GDC, and includes the definition document which sets out the seven classes of information we make available. If you cannot find the information you seek on this page, or elsewhere on our website, please write to us.

As part of our duty under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000, we adopted the model Publication Scheme approved by the ICO on 12 December 2008  for all healthcare regulators. This scheme is based on a model developed by the health regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom and approved by the Information Commissioner who enforces both the FOI Act and the Data Protection Act for the Lord Chancellor's Office. This new scheme officially came into effect on 1 January 2009 and replaces the earlier scheme approved for use between 2005 and 31 December 2008.

For more information about model schemes click on the website of the Information Commissioner’s office (the ICO)

The ICO website also provides further information about the Freedom of Information Act 2000, our obligations and your rights

It is also the place to look for information about the Data Protection Act 1998

We do not currently have information about our scheme in Welsh. There is a document about the model scheme in Welsh on the ICO website. 

Definition document for Health Regulators

This document gives examples of the kinds of information we make available. The guidance is not meant to give a definitive list but we have incorporated links to some of the  information available on our website to help you with your search. Your attention is also drawn to the note at the beginning of the document.

 You can download the definition document here (PDF version)

Some information the Council holds may only be available in hard copy and not accessible through our website. If you cannot find the information you are looking for click here to find out how to make an FOI request. 
 
Freedom of information policy

In December 2004 when approving the steps which had been taken to ensure that the Freedom of Information Act would be complied with, the Council agreed that the Chief Executive should report annually on the operation of the policy. Click here to access copies of our reports to Council on 6 December 2007 and 3 March 2009.

The GDC is also required to maintain personal data subject to legal safeguards as specified in the Data Protection Act 1998. The GDC fully endorses and adheres to the eight principles of that act. To read the GDC's data protection policy click here.