HC Deb 21 November 2001 vol 375 c368W
Matthew Taylor

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what date his Department established a working group of officials to prepare his Department for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and on what dates this committee has met since it was set up. [14770]

Mr. Wills

My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor announced on 13 November that the publication scheme provisions of the Freedom of Information Act will be implemented for central Government in November 2002 at the start of a rolling programme across the public sector and that the right of access provisions of the Act will be implemented for all public authorities in January 2005.

No such working group has yet been set up. We have a project plan outlining how FOI will be successfully implemented throughout the Department. We have already appointed an FOI champion at Board level and a full-time implementation project manager. Awareness training has already been held and more is planned. As part of the plan we will be setting up a working group of key officials and a network of staff to consider and advise on implementation issues for the Department.