§ 17. Dr. CableTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what guidance he has given to Ministers on the public disclosure of business secondees to the civil service. [49360]
§ Mr. LeslieI have not issued any guidance to Ministers. However, Sir Richard Wilson, in agreement with permanent secretaries, decided that guidance should be issued to all Departments on the disclosure of business secondments to the civil service. As a result, the Cabinet Office Interchange Unit has issued guidance to all Departments stating that they should meet all requests for disclosure of information, except in circumstances where there is a "public interest" objection to the disclosure, or where it would not be in accordance with the terms of the Data Protection Act, particularly Schedule 2.