FOI Disclosure Stories Oct 2010

Michael Gove's ex-adviser given £500,000 free schools grant - The Guardian 28/10/2010
Pro-free schools lobby group run by Gove’s 25-year-old ex-advisor won project work – which was not advertised – to offer impartial advice on the proposals, FOI request reveals.

How the state failed to protect vulnerable children - Belfast Telegraph 27/10/2010
The summaries of four confidential Case Management Reviews on the deaths of vulnerable children in Northern Ireland highlight raise concerns about how their cases were dealt with by social services and other agencies.

British forces exposed over Afghan attacks – The Guardian 27/10/2010
Ministry of Defence releases documents linking three military units to bulk of civilian casualties.

Liberty challenges immigration detention of children - Morning Star 26/10/2010
A landmark case challenging the government's continued detention of children was launched at the High Court in London. Liberty obtained information under the Freedom of Information Act showing that in 2009 alone, 1065 children were held in immigration detention.

40 deaths linked to child vaccines over seven years – The Sunday Times 24/10/10
Data, disclosed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that, since 2003, there have been more than 2,100 serious adverse reactions to childhood vaccines, some of which were life-threatening.

MoD papers reveal catalogue of nuclear safety failures – The Herald 17/10/10
Potentially catastrophic lapses in nuclear weapons safety at the Clyde naval base have been exposed by secret Ministry of Defence reports released after a three-year freedom of information battle.

Porton Down film shows Cold War plague tests on animals – BBC 10/10/2010
An amateur historian uncovered a top secret film from the 1950's showing testing of a biological bomb on animals by scientists from Porton Down in Wiltshire.

London 2012: A Rubbish Olympics - Games Monitor 26/09/2010
A campaign group watching the Olympic Games in London has produced a detailed report of the radioactive waste contamination on the Olympics Site based on documents disclosed under the FOI act.