|
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION “SHAM” |
|
|
|
Written by Paul Tyler
|
|
Tuesday, 17 January 2006 |
|
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION “SHAM”
A full year after the Freedom of Information Act the membership of the “Freedom of Information Users Group” is still secret….for the simple reason that it has not been set up yet.
In answer to oral questions in the Lords today (Tuesday) from Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Tyler, Baroness Ashton of Upholland admitted this delay, but sought to defend the huge backlog of examination of official secrecy complaints.
Lord Tyler said that those who had campaigned long and hard for this legislation were “disappointed and disillusioned” by the long delays in the processing of complaints and “the failure to deliver”.
He told the Lords that he had submitted a complaint to the Information Commissioner in April 2005 (when he was still an MP). At the end of November he received a reply from the Commissioner saying: “we will start work on your complaint as soon as we can.”
Lord Tyler said the lack of urgency, and lack of appropriate resources, was making the “freedom of information legislation a sham”.
He asked the Minister to “confirm the report in Private Eye that the Membership of the Freedom of Information Users Group is secret.”
Lady Ashton defended the process of complaints following the introduction of the Act. Labour peer Lord Foulkes supported her, suggesting that too many submissions to the Commissioner were coming from “investigative journalists”.
End
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 19 January 2006 )
|
News Archive 
Tuesday, 02 December 2008
Home | Paul Tyler | Cornwall | News Archive | Articles | Contact | Westminster | Gallery | Administrator 