§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he intends to take in the light of responses to his consultation paper which proposed an amendment to the Local Government Finance Act 1982 to restrict the rights of the public to inspect at the time of audit, information which a local authority holds about its employees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeMy right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales have decided in the light of responses to their consultation paper to seek at the next convenient opportunity an amendment to the Local Government Finance Act 1982 so that, as proposed, all information which an authority holds about its employees would be excluded from public inspection, except information about gross pay, allowances, bonuses and overtime payments, which would continue to be open to inspection at the time of audit. My right hon. Friends consider that such an amendment would strike the right balance between safeguarding personal privacy and providing adequate public inspection for proper accountability.