Freedom of Information Act Training

HL Deb 20 December 2001 vol 630 cc75-6WA

Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What arrangements have been made for the training of Ministers and civil servants to give effect to the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and what is the timetable for the training programme between now and January 2005. [HL1996]

The Lord Chancellor

The Centre for Management and Policy Studies in the Cabinet Office has arranged a seminar for Ministers on the implications of the Freedom of Information Act for 29 January 2002. Following on from this seminar, starting on 4 February, Michael Wills MP, a Parliamentary Secretary in the Lord Chancellor's Department, will be leading a series of road-shows around the country to raise awareness of the Act at a strategic level in public authorities. Members of the Advisory Group on Implementation will also be involved in the events, as will senior officials in the Lord Chancellor's Department.

These sessions will run until the end of April 2002. Details of dates and locations will be advertised in January. A further series of events will be held in the autumn of next year to address the need for more in-depth information and training on freedom of information.

Each public authority is responsible for training its own officials and will be influenced by departmental needs and the recommendations of the interdepartmental officials groups and the Advisory Group on Implementation. Officials in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection Division in my department (formerly the Home Office) regularly undertake awareness-raising seminars in a wide range of departments, including the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department of Health, the Office of National Statistics, and the Northern Ireland Civil Service, as well as in my department. These officials have also participated in courses at the Civil Service College, the Local Government Group at the Law Society and conferences arranged by other organisations.

Further details on culture change, training and awareness, including departmental case studies, appear in my report to Parliament on the implementation of the Act of 29 November 2001.