[okforums-discuss] Positions available for lay members of the Information Tribunal

[Rufus Pollock]

I thought this might be of interest to attendees of the forums given 
their interest in access to public sector and civic information.

Regards,

Rufus

Advertisement in Evening Standard, Monday May 16

The secretary of State and Lord Chancellor welcomes applications for the 
position of Lay members of the information tribunal

Freedom of information is essential in any democratic society. The 
information tribunal hears appeals from decisions of the Information 
Commissioner under the freedom on information Act 2000, and also has 
juridsdiction under other legisloation such as the Data Protection Act 
1998. More information about the workings of the tribunal can be found 
on its web site  www.dca.gov.uk/foi/inftrib.htm or 
www.informationtribunal.gov.uk

The hearings are chaired by a judicially qualified chairman assisted by 
two lay members, one with experience of public authorities and the other 
with experience of those seeking information from public authoriites.

Lay members - 15 vacancies

To be eligible for this post applicants need not have a legal 
qualification although they should be able to demonstrated experience in 
areas relevant to freedom on information. Such experience includes 
working directly or indirectly for public authorities or experience of 
representing citizens, commercial interests and others in their dealings 
with public authorities or experience of helping people with their 
information rights. They might also be a user or represent users of 
public information.

Members are appointed on a fee-paid basis and expected to commit to 
between 20 -30 sitting days a year. The are paid a fee of £240 per 
sitting. Most sittings will be in London although some travel may be 
necessary. There will be a reserve list for these posts where 10 
suitable candidates will remain on the reserve list for 18 months to 
fill any subsequent vacancies.

How to apply

Application pack can be downloaded from the departments' website 
www.judicial-appointments.org.uk or obtained by phoning 0207 210 0124, 
or by e-mailing jaas at dca.gsi.gov.uk

All completed application forms must be received by tuesday 7 june 2005