§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the impact of the proposals contained in his Freedom of Information White Paper on commercial confidentiality within the nuclear industry. [48973]
§ Dr. David ClarkThe Freedom of Information White Paper, Your Right to Know, set out our approach to freedom of information across a wide range of public authorities, including nationalised industries, public corporations and non-departmental public bodies. The White Paper also made it clear that commercial confidentiality is one of the proposed specified interests to which the substantial harm test will be applied in determining whether information should be disclosed. I intend to publish a draft FOI Bill by the end of September which will make clearer the exact coverage of the regime and its operation. However, at this stage it is not possible to predict the effect that the proposals will have on one of the specified interests within a particular industry.