Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (the FOI Law) gives members of the public a general right of access to information held by a scheduled public authority (SPA). Under FOI, everyone has equal rights to access this information. SPAs covered by the FOI Law include Government of Jersey departments, Parishes, States of Jersey Police, Andium Homes and the Office of the Children's Commissioner for Jersey.

The FOI Law covers recorded information in any format that’s held by a SPA in Jersey. It can include printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings such as CCTV.

The FOI Law doesn’t give people access to their own personal data such as their health records or credit reference file. These types of requests should be made to the relevant controller under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

Anyone can make a freedom of information request – they don’t have to be Jersey citizens, or resident in Jersey. Requests can also be made by organisations, such as a newspaper, a campaign group, or a company. The purpose is to embrace a culture of public openness, transparency and accountability.