§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to require all task forces and equivalent bodies sponsored by his Department to publish their working papers and minutes on the Internet. [58768]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 9 November 1998]My Department encourages greater openness of the public bodies it sponsors, wherever practical and appropriate. My Department supports the proposals in "Quangos: Opening The Doors" which recommends that public bodies be encouraged to follow best practice in producing and distributing information on their role and achievement on the Internet. The extent to which the records of any specific task force or equivalent body are published or placed on the Internet will depend upon the individual circumstances and specific tasks undertaken. However, the presumption will be that the final report or recommendations will be made public unless there are good reasons to the contrary.