§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the timetable for the training of Ministers and civil servants to give effect to the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and by whom is such training to be provided. [HL803]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)A seminar for Ministers on the implications of the Freedom of Information Act is being arranged by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies in the Cabinet Office. We expect this to take place in January next year.
The training of officials is a matter for each department. Officials in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Division in my department (formerly in the Home Office) have undertaken awareness seminars in a wide range of departments, including the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Scotland Office and in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, as well as in my department, and have also participated in courses at the Civil Service College and courses arranged by other organisations.
I expect to provide further details of training in my statutory report to Parliament in November.