Can somebody tell me how the "Freedom of information act" works, can anyone request information from either government bodies or registered businesses and if so how do you go about getting such information and also are they lawfully obliged to respond to such rquests?
What sort of information are you talking about? As regards registered businesses, certain information about these is in the public domain and accessible through the Companies House website:
just write to them stating clearly you are requesting the information under the terms of the FOI act they have 28 days to reply I think... however they don't have to release info that would threaten national security or the safety of an individual or group