§ Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those topics on which it is not his practice to answer Parliamentary Questions; and if he will list any changes in practice since 1972, indicating in each case the date on which the change was made and the relevant reference in the Official Report.
§ Mr. ShoreIt is my practice to answer all Questions on topics falling within my responsibilities, subject only to generally recognised restrictions relating to certain types of information, notably:
I am, however, unable to provide information on topics which fall outside my ministerial responsibilities, such as:
- (i) information which is commercially confidential (for example, details of the leases of individual Government office buildings);
- (ii) some aspects of the management of my Department and the formulation of policy (for example, personal information relating to the appointment and employment of individuals, and details of the advice given by individual officials);
- (iii) information which is classified for security reasons;
- (iv) information which can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
(v) matters which are entirely within the responsibilities of individual local authorities (for example, a council's decisions in respect of people on its waiting list for housing; the staff matters of individual authorities);(vi) matters relating to the day-to-day management of nationalised industries, Government agencies and fringe bodies (for example the water authorities and the Nature Conservancy Council).No list of "prohibited topics" is maintained by my Department. Each Question is dealt with as it arises. I am therefore unable to provide the information requested in the latter part of the hon. Member's Question, except to say 33W that there has been no change in general practice since 1972. The responsibilities of the Department of the Environment changed when the Department of Transport was formed in 1976.