Current status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 September 2012
To ask the Scottish Government what impact human rights law and the human rights obligations in section 57 of the Scotland Act 1998 have on freedom of information rights.
Section 57 of the Scotland Act 1998 requires members of the Scottish Government to act compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights. They have no power to do otherwise.
Whilst Article 10 of the Convention requires states to secure the effective recognition and observance of the right to freedom of expression, including the right to receive and impart information, it does not establish a general right of access to data or documents and does not constitute a free-standing freedom of information regime.