§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to give effect to the Government's decision about the provision of official information which he announced during the debate on the Address on 24th November 1976.
§ The Prime Minister:Departments have been advised that in future as much as possible of the factual and analytical material used as background to major policy studies should be published. The working assumption will be that, once Ministers have reached their conclusions on a particular study, the associated background material will be published unless Ministers have good reasons for deciding otherwise. This material will mainly consist of deliberate presentations in the later stages of the discussion and development of new policy. Most of it will be released on the initiative of the Department, probably through Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Material of lesser importance, or of interest to a limited audience, may well be put out through other means, such as being made available to newspapers, or through publication in magazines and journals in the usual way. Departments will also be ready to respond positively and sympa- 700W thetically to specific requests in the same way as a good deal of otherwise unpublished material is already made available to bona fide researchers. The overall effect should be an increase in the already considerable amount of material put out by Departments but at a minimum cost, directly or indirectly, to public funds.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Prime Minister whether he will take action to ensure that Members of Parliament shall be supplied with information by Ministers when this is available and to instruct Ministers to give close attention to each case where it is claimed that to provide the information requested would involve disproportionate cost.
§ The Prime Minister:It is the Government's practice to supply as much information as can be made available in response to Questions and inquiries from hon. Members. Ministers always carefully consider whether the provision of information would involve disproportionate cost and each case is judged on its merits.