§ Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Minister for the Civil Service (1) if he will specify the differing estimates of the cost of the United States Freedom of Information Act referred to in paragraph 47 of the White Paper on the Official Secrets Act, in each case providing the size of the estimate, its source, and the basis of calculation;
(2) if he will explain the statement in paragraph 47 of the White Paper on the Official Secrets Act that the cost of the United States Freedom of Information Act has been unexpectedly high by specifying those estimates of cost made before the Act came into operation, in each case providing the size of the estimate, its source, and the basis of calculation;
(3) what study has been made of the implications of creating a statutory right of access to official information;
(4) what is his estimate of the cost of a statutory right of access to official information.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisThe statement in the White Paper about the cost of the United States Freedom of Information Act was based on various sources including the Canadian Government's Green Paper "Legislation on Public Access to Government Departments", which estimates the cost of operating the United States Act at $150 million a year, excluding the cost of judicial review. No realistic assessment of the cost of a British statutory right of access to official information can be made until such time as the study referred to in paragraph 49 of the Government's White Paper (Cmnd 7285) has been concluded.