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Environmental Information Regulations
The Freedom of Information Act gives rights of access to a wide range of information. However, rights of access to environmental information are provided by a separate statutory regime, the Environmental Information Regulations.
New Regulations were laid in December 2004, which brought into UK law a new EU Directive 2003/4/EC
(145kb) on public access to environmental information. The new regulations came into effect in January 2005.
The new regulations replace the 1992 Environmental Information Regulations. Further information about access to environmental information, including guidance on the Regulations can be found on the website of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
You can request environmental information by letter, fax, email, and through our online form, as with Freedom of Information, and also by telephone on +44 (0) 20 8392 5200. The rights of access can be overridden only by exceptions (exemptions) set out in the Environmental Information Regulations.
What is environmental information?
´Environmental information´ is a broad term, and includes:
- Information on the state of the environment and factors effecting the environment, such as flooding, habitat loss, greenhouse gases, radioactive waste, noise, building developments etc.
- Information on measures such as policies, legislation, environmental agreements and also economic and cost benefit analyses of these measures.
- Information on the state of human health and safety, the food chain, cultural/built structures and the conditions of human life, where they are effected by environmental factors such as acid rain, air pollution etc.
What kind of environmental information is there in the archives?
The National Archives holds all kinds of environmental information including information about school buildings, railway construction, soil erosion, land reclamation, pollution (including air, water and noise) and many other subjects.
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