Petition · past parliament
Do not exempt universities from Freedom of Information requests
Closed
694 signatures
What the petition asks
The Higher Education Green Paper contains a proposal to make universities exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, on page 68. This is incredibly dangerous for maintaining transparency and for student media who rely on FOI requests to hold universities and other HEIs to account.
The Russell Group which represents 24 universities, have publicly supported this proposal: “The additional responsibilities created by FOI represent an unnecessary burden. Furthermore, changes in funding of higher education and the emergence of a private sector of higher education provision mean that continued application of the Freedom of Information Act to universities is unfair.”
It is also corroborated by Universities UK, which represents 132 vice-chancellors and principals.
It is also corroborated by Universities UK, which represents 132 vice-chancellors and principals.
Timeline
| 19 Feb 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 19 Aug 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
694
Status
Closed
Opened
19 Feb 2016
Closed
19 Aug 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.