§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the draft Freedom of Information Bill to ensure that non-departmental public bodies are required to disclose information explaining the bases of their decisions to allocate financial resources. [97365]
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§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe draft Freedom of Information Bill provides that all public authorities, including non-departmental public bodies, are required to disclose information they hold, subject to the conditions and exemptions set out in the draft Bill. Even where information is exempted information, the changes to the draft Bill which my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in a reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, South (Mr. Pearson),Official Report, 21 October 1999, column 624, will mean that a public authority will have to consider the public interest in disclosing information when considering whether to exercise the discretionary authority to disclose.