Yesterday afternoon in the House of Commons, David Winnick, labour MP for Walsall North said:
"On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I accept entirely that it is up to Members to mobilise support for or against a private Member's Bill. That has been the long tradition in the House. But as you, like your predecessors, are the defender of Back Benchers, I want to bring to your attention the fact that it becomes very difficult to oppose, as I do, the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, which will come before the House on Friday and which will exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act 2000, when we find that the usual channels—to use a phrase—are mobilising support for that measure. I do not for one moment suggest that that in itself is unparliamentary, but it means that all the machinery of the Government and to some extent the Opposition is being mobilised in favour of a private Member's Bill, which places those of us who are opposed to it at a grave disadvantage"
In the last full publication of the draft bill on 7 February 2007 (PDF) sought to introduce a new absolute exemption into the Act, with a new section 34A as follows:
“34A Communications with members of House of Commons
(1) Information is exempt information if it is held only by virtue of being contained in any communication between a member of the House of Commons, acting in his capacity as such, and a public authority.
(2) The duty to confirm or deny does not arise in relation to information which is (or if it were held by the public authority to which the request is made would be) exempt information by virtue of subsection (1)”
Since there there have been a plethora of suggested revisions, as can be seen from the amendments as at 16 May 2007.
The Bill is a private members' bill and is due for its third reading in the House of Commons tomorrow, 18 May 2007.
There's other blog coverage of this item today, including:
- UK Freedom of Information Blog;
- Open & Shut (Australian blog); and
- Your Right to Know
Comments