The Environment Information Regulations (EIR) came into force in 1992. They were updated in 2004 to ensure that they fell in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
These regulations give you the right to access environmental information held by any public authority.
EIRs cover a wide variety of environmental information including:
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The state of the environment: such as air, water, soil, land, flora and fauna and diversity including information on genetically modified organism;
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Emissions and discharges: such as noise, energy, radiation, waste and other such substances;
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Measures and activities: such as policies, plans and agreements, reports, cost benefit and economic analyses;
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The state of human health and safety: including contamination of the food chain;
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Cultural sites and built structures: as they may be affected by environmental factors.
You can make requests by letter, by email to foi@esth.nhs.uk and - unlike Freedom of Information (FOI) requests - you can also request information by telephone 020 8296 2469 or in person.
Requests will be answered within 20 working days; the time limit for EIR requests can be extended to 40 working days if the information requested is complex and voluminous.
There are a number of exemptions for example if the information is likely to prejudice national security. All EIR exemptions are qualified (public interest test applies). You can find out more about EIRs on the Information Commissioner's website.
