HC Deb 04 February 1998 vol 305 cc705-6W
14. Mr. Laurence Robertson

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of the impact of freedom of information legislation on data protection. [25370]

Dr. David Clark

Chapter Four of the White Paper "Your Right to Know sets out the Government's approach to the interaction of Freedom of Information and Data Protection. We aim to maximise access to official information while ensuring the proper protection of personal privacy.

17. Mr. Clappison

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on progress on the promotion of freedom of information. [25374]

Dr. David Clark

This Government are committed to the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act. I recently published "Your Right to Know"—a White Paper—which set out our proposals for such an Act, and on which I have invited the public's views. The White Paper will be followed, later this year, by the publication of a draft Bill for further public consultation.

We have already taken a number of concrete steps to promote greater openness in government. These include, for example, the requirement for all National Health Service Trusts to hold their meetings in public, and all executive and advisory Quangos to produce and make publicly available annual reports.

Mr. Rhodri Morgan

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he will publish the factual and background material relevant to the production of the White Paper, 'Your Right to Know', promised in his oral statement of 11 December 1997,Official Report, column 1 1 84. [27985]

Dr. David Clark

I have today published a document containing substantial factual and background information which contributed to the formulation of the Government's proposals set out in "Your Right to Know: Freedom of Information". Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. As with the White Paper itself, the document will shortly be published on the Internet, on the Cabinet Office (Freedom of Information Unit) home page: http://www.open.gov.uk/m-of-g/foihome.htm.

The document is based on material in the papers submitted to the Cabinet Sub-Committee, CRP(FOI), which was established to work on Freedom of Information policy. As such it reflects, in addition to straightforward factual and statistical information, many of the arguments, ideas and proposals expressed in the general debates about openness and Freedom of Information in recent years. Obviously, these contributed to the formulation of the Government's policy on FOI set out in "Your Right to Know": but they do not in themselves constitute Government policy, and should not be interpreted as doing so. Inevitably, some of them were taken up and developed further, and feature in "Your Right to Know"; others do not. Nevertheless, I hope that the document will both contribute generally to our policy of open government and, in particular, will be helpful to those who wish to take up the Government's invitation to submit their comments and views on "Your Right to Know".