§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make it his policy to seek action at the appropriate European Council to remove the current statutory restrictions on information disclosure, to which reference is made at paragraph 6.12 of Cm 2290 on open government.
§ Mr. WaldegraveRestrictions on disclosure of information which arise from EC legislation generally exist for good reasons, principally to protect commercial confidentiality and enable national regulatory authorities to exchange information in confidence. Nevertheless, if the process of preparing legislation to implement the proposed right of access to health and safety information reveals that particular EC-derived restrictions are unduly extensive, we will raise our concerns with our Community partners and the Commission.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out details of initiatives and 659W meetings his Department has sponsored, or participated in, to promote public discussion of the proposals contained in his White Paper on open government, Cm 2290.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe White Paper itself invited comments on the proposals it contains. My office has received nearly 100 letters from members of the public and representative organisations putting their views on various aspects of the proposals.
On 21 October I addressed a public seminar on the White Paper organised by the Campaign for Freedom of Information and the First Division Association.