City Academies

Mr. Betts
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether city academies are required to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Jim Knight
Academies are not currently required to comply with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs may, under section 5 of the FOIA, extend the Act through regulations to other bodies not currently covered. However, I understand that the DCA is currently looking at the lessons learnt from the current implementation of the Act before looking to extend it further.