§ Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in drawing up codes of practice for the disclosure of information held by local authorities and the national health service; and when he expects to publish proposals for consultation.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe local authority associations have responded positively to the suggestion in the White Paper, "Open Government" (Cm 2290) that they could usefully adopt a voluntary code of practice on disclosure of information. The associations are preparing a draft.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has asked the NHS Management Executive to take forward the proposal for a code of practice for the NHS. A task force has been set up for this purpose and I understand a draft code should be ready for wider consultation by the summer, with a view to implementation by the end of the year.