publicising inspection reports

USE: IMMEDIATE ISSUE DATE: WEDNESDAY 11 MAY 2005

HIGHLAND LEADS THE WAY IN PUBLICISING INSPECTION REPORTS

The Highland Council has responded to public demand by placing all hygiene and health and safety inspection reports on its worldwide web site www.highland.gov.uk

Although other Councils may follow, it is believed that the Council is the first local authority in the UK to place this information on the internet.

Recently, requests have been made for copies of food hygiene inspection reports in respect of all school kitchens and several individual restaurants/hotels etc. On each occasion, this information has had to be retrieved from records and forwarded to the applicant.

In order to make the information freely available in the future, the first food safety and health and safety inspection reports were posted on the Council’s website today (Thursday).

The recent introduction of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the amended Environmental Information Regulations (Scotland) 2004 have placed responsibility on public bodies to release held information on request, subject to certain exceptions. The legislation also makes provision for the active publication of information for public consumption.

Placing this information on the Council’s website should: -

	significantly reduce the administrative burden of dealing with individual freedom of information requests,
	publicise the work done by the Environmental Health Service
	encourage a spirit of openness and accountability throughout the Highlands.

Alistair Thomson, Head of Environmental Health with The Highland Council, said:

"In terms of the new legislation, these inspection reports are public information. Anyone is entitled to see the reports. We are aware that this is a radical change and some business proprietors may not agree with our decision to put the information on the internet.

"We work closely with Highland businesses to improve standards and we would hope that this decision will not spoil relations already built up. However, the most important thing is the legal right of access by the public to this information.

"It doesn’t make sense that people in the Highlands can see details on the internet of hygiene reports on New York restaurants but can’t see the same information for Highland businesses. If publishing the reports also results in improved hygiene or health and safety standards or even quicker compliance, then so much the better."

ENDS

Further information is available from Alistair Thomson, Head of Environmental Health, Tel. 01463 702516.

The Highland Council has inspection responsibilities under the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Environmental Health has responsibility for approximately 4,300 premises for food hygiene and food standards inspections. For Health and Safety at Work, Environmental Health has responsibility for approximately 4,500 premises. Inspections are planned using a priority system, based on risk assessment. This considers the type of premises, the operations carried out there and the level of compliance noted at the previous inspection. Separate priority systems are used for health and safety, food hygiene and food standards.

From the 1^st April 2004 through to 31^st March 2005, officers carried out 1,842 routine inspections for these purposes.

Date Last updated : 11/05/05