I have been contacted by many of my constituents regarding the Freedom of Information Act review that is currently underway.
I do fully support freedom of information, as does the Government, but after more than a decade in operation I do feel that the time has come for the process to be reviewed. I know that the Government’s aim is to be as open and transparent as possible on the information content but this must also allow policy-makers enough leeway to think laterally and to give frank advice. It is therefore crucial to ensure that the balance is correctly struck between allowing policy makers to provide ideas whilst also allowing citizens to shine a light into Government decisions.
The Government has established an independent, cross-party Commission to review the Freedom of Information Act and to make sure it is functioning as intended. The Commission will consider whether there is an appropriate public interest balance between transparency, accountability and the need for sensitive information to have robust protection, and whether the operation of the Act adequately recognises the need for a private space for policy development, implementation and frank advice.
The Commission received over 30,000 submissions and has decided to hold two oral evidence sessions in January 2016. They will now report as soon as possible after these sessions and I look forward to their conclusion and the Government’s response in due course.
I am encouraged that my colleagues in Government are strengthening accountability and making public services work better for people. You may also be interested to know that the World Wide Web Foundation’s Open Data Barometer and Open Knowledge’s Global Open Data Index ranked the UK as the world’s leading country on open government.
The issue that causes me concern relates to the difficulties which our public services experience with multiple FoI requests. I share the desire for journalists and charities to be able to continue to use FoI but I was struck by a conversation with our local District Council's Executive Directors who explained to me how many requests were coming in from marketing companies who were, in reality, seeking to get hold of information about residents in order to market their own products. In addition, other councils are using FoI requests to compare and contrast with their own Council's performance. Finally, there are a small number of individuals who have a hobby which comprises the frequent making of FoI requests. Officials maintain that some 10% of time is taken on dealing with these requests. At times when Councils are having to cut front-line resources to vital organisations, but have to continue to deal with FoI requests, this prioritisation feels wrong to me.
In conclusion, I fully support the need for open and transparent governance but believe the time is now right to ensure that this is not at the expense of our essential public services, which are currently having to maximise scarce resources.