§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether the provisions of the code of practice on access to government information regarding referral of refusal of information to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration will apply to hon. Members in respect of failure to provide information in response to parliamentary questions.
§ Mr. WaldegraveSubject to the disproportionate cost rule, there is no question of withholding from Parliament information which would be available under the code of 141W practice on access to government information. However, neither the code nor the powers of investigation of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration apply to proceedings of Parliament and hon. Members have more direct means than the code of seeking information from Ministers.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in what circumstances a member of the public will be able to obtain information under the code of practice on access to government information which has been refused in response to a question for written answer put down by an hon. Member.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI am aware of only one set of circumstances. By long-standing convention, a Minister may decline to answer a parliamentary question if to do so would involve disproportionate cost. A member of the public might be able to obtain information refused on these grounds, provided that they were prepared to pay an appropriate charge, meeting the request did not involve an unreasonable diversion of resources and the material was not otherwise exempt from disclosure under part II of the code of practice.