HL Deb 17 December 1997 vol 584 cc91-2WA
Lord Beaumont of Whitley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Local Government and Housing on 1 December (HC Deb, WA 47-8), whether they will instruct civil servants to mark correspondence, which they file, in such a way that it is possible to identify what is not commercially sensitive and so could be released to third parties under the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' Code of Practice on Open Government without undue expenditure of time and without disproportionate cost.

Baroness Hayman

Civil servants are already instructed on the security classification to be applied to government documents containing commercially sensitive material. Such classification is not of itself a justification for refusing access, but would be an important consideration in reaching decisions on individual cases.

Government security markings are not generally used in correspondence between the department and non-government bodies, such as local authorities, which may nevertheless contain sensitive information. Where the volume of correspondence is large, identifying the commercially sensitive elements as a matter of general policy could involve disproportionate cost. The department therefore follows a policy of determining on a case by case basis whether commercial sensitivity should prevent release of any information requested.