§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is a reasonable prospect that they will bring into force the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, in respect of HM Civil Service, before the end of 2002. [HLI393]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe Home Office is currently in consultation with the Information Commissioner concerning the timetable for implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Implementation will require a great deal of work on the part of the Office of the Information Commissioner, not least with regard to the approval of publication schemes for all public authorities. It would be inappropriate to make any definitive statement on the timing of implementation until these discussions are completed.
However, I would like to give an assurance that the Government, as part of their commitment to open government, are determined to implement the Freedom of Information Act, both for Her Majesty's Civil Service and for the rest of the public sector, as expeditiously as possible.