The Ordinary Elite - E13 - With David Hamilton, Scottish Information Commissioner

The Story

The Ordinary Elite is a Scottish podcast brought to you from Glasgow by John McGovern and Mike Dailly. Both are Solicitor Advocates – John a criminal defence lawyer and Mike a civil litigation practitioner and social justice campaigner.

In episode 13 of Season 5, we are joined by David Hamilton, the Scottish Information Commissioner. David took up post in October 2023 for a fixed six-year term and is responsible for the enforcement and promotion of Scotland’s freedom of information laws, including the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations.

A former senior police officer with 26 years’ service and former Chair of the Scottish Police Federation, David has a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Glasgow. He has also worked in sales, marketing and banking, and as an international aid worker in Bosnia and Ukraine. He is a trustee of several charities, chair of his local community council, and is currently training for his black belt in karate.

We discuss the current state of freedom of information in Scotland, the pressures on the Commissioner’s office, the importance of transparency in public life, and the challenges of balancing openness with the protection of sensitive information. What does effective FOI look like in practice, and how can public authorities better meet their obligations under the law?

You can find out more about the work of the Scottish Information Commissioner at foi.scot.