HL Deb 23 February 2005 vol 669 c211WA
Lord Hanningfield

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2 February (WA 53), what is their policy on disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of the diary records of meetings between the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, the Lord Birt and

  1. (a) the Prime Minister;
  2. (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and
  3. (c) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. [HL1359]

Lord Bassam of Brighton

All requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. including information relating to records of meetings are considered on a case-by-case basis. The Freedom of Information Act operates on the presumption that all information held by public authorities should be available, subject to the 24 exemptions of the Act. Whether or not information is exempt under the Act requires the exercise of judgment in each case. The majority of the exemptions also require that the public interest in releasing the information should be weighed against the public interest in withholding it. If the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in withholding it, the information must be disclosed. The assessment of the public interest has to be made in all the circumstances of the case, on a case-by-case basis as far as each request is concerned.