§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many(a) individuals, (b) companies, (c) campaign groups, (d) hon. Members of either House, (e) Members of the European Parliament and (f) government departments or agencies had responded to his consultation paper on freedom of information by the end of the consultation period; what proportions of each category responded by e-mail or participated in his on-line discussion forum; and if he will place in the Library (i) a list of respondents and (ii) copies of submissions not requesting confidentiality. [33118]
§ Dr. David ClarkBy 10 March nearly 550 responses had been received to the consultation on the White PaperYour Right to Know, the Government's proposals for a Freedom of Information Act. The exact breakdown requested is not available but responses can be broken down as follows:
Total number of responses Responses by e-mail On-line discussion (a) individuals 159 102 38 (b) businesses 65 11 2 (c) media 6 1 0 (d) academics 59 14 0 (e) charities, lobby groups and campaign groups 79 20 4 (f) hon. Members of either House 4 0 0 (g) public authorities 145 15 1 (h) Members of the European Parliament 0 0 0 (i) others 26 7 3 Total 543 170 48 This table broadly covers categories (a) to (e) in the question. As far as category (f) is concerned the White Paper "Your Right to Know" contains the Government's collectively agreed proposals for a Freedom of Information Act. The consultation on the White Paper was therefore designed for members of the public and other outside interests, not Government departments or agencies, to submit their views on the proposals.
I will be placing a list of all respondees and copies of all submissions not requesting confidentiality in the Library shortly.