HL Deb 02 June 2003 vol 648 cc113-4WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made and what remains still to be done to prepare Ministers of the Crown and their departments as well as other public authorities for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [HL2833]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal):

Good progress is being made throughout the public sector to prepare for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The publication scheme provisions of the Act are now in force for all central government departments and agencies, as well as local government, and will be applied to all public authorities by June 2004, according to the timetable announced by the Lord Chancellor to Parliament on 13 November 2001.

In order to prepare public authorities for the coming into force of the right of access in January 2005, substantial work is being done to train officials across the public sector. Officials in my department are currently engaged in a series of regional training seminars for public authorities across the country. Specific areas of the public sector, including the NHS and police, have established training programmes with which officials from my department have been involved. The work to train staff in public authorities will continue over the next 18 months.

A summary of the progress which has been made by public authorities is contained in the Lord Chancellor's second statutory report on implementation, copies of which are in the House Library.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will consider it is feasible to accelerate the timetable for the coming into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [HL2834]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal:

The timetable for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act was announced to Parliament by the Lord Chancellor on 13 November 2001. The publication scheme provisions are currently being implemented across the public sector according to this timetable and the individual right of access will come into force in January 2005, 1 I months before the timetable set out in the Act itself.

The implementation timetable is aligned with completion of the Government's project on electronic records management, and the extensive training and associated programmes required to ensure public authorities are prepared by the time the Act comes fully into force. There are no plans to accelerate the timetable.