The clue is in the name. If it was called the Restriction of Information Act, or the No, Never, Not on Your Nelly Act, that would be different. But it's not. It's called the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), which surely implies that certain information should be available to those who request it.

But the Department of Health (DH) seems not to understand. Health Service Journal (April 10) says that the DH is the only Whitehall department to receive a formal warning from the Information Commissioner's Office.

An audit of complaints has led to the DH being “lambasted”, says HSJ, for repeatedly applying blanket exemptions to requests under the Act. It is now under orders to review the way it handles FOI applications. The DH responded by accepting fully the criticisms, adding the apparent non sequitur that it took its FOI responsibilities “very seriously”.

But it's not just the DH that has come under scrutiny from the information commissioner. Local Government Chronicle (April 10) says that until the watchdog intervened, East Riding of Yorkshire Council had refused to publish details of its Private Finance Initiative waste contract. The council cited commercial confidentiality but, in a judgment that has implications for other councils and public services, the commissioner ruled otherwise. Maurice Frankel, of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, is pleased. “This shows councils should not withhold material as a matter of course,” he says.

Daring deeds fall foul of law

New corporate manslaughter and homicide act could end charity events such as fun runs, bungee jumps and skydives

BACKGROUND

• Don't be surprised by the answers you get

• Vices seduce immigrant mums

• Keeping heads cool under fire

• Is teaching losing its appeal?

Related Internet Links

• Public sector jobs

• Snakes & Ladders

The Department for Work and Pensions is not withholding material. It will publish child poverty statistics on May 2. Coincidentally, that is the day after local elections in England and Wales and, as Regeneration & Renewal (April 11) reports, is later than expected. The department puts the delay down to the need for “additional validation and quality assurance of the statistics”.

No such prevarication with Debra Allcock Tyler. Writing in Third Sector (April 9), the chief executive of the Directory of Social Change, urges fellow charity-sector managers to tell it straight when evaluating staff. Ditch the “compliment sandwich”, she says - the unpalatable truth buttressed by something nice - and tell people the truth.

“And - puh-lease - let's call a spade a spade. Calling criticism 'behaviour-enhancing feedback' or a 'learning conversation' is like calling a pile of dog poo 'positively emitted canine excrement'.”

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive