Government action over the Freedom of Information Act is
likely to block many applications for politically-contentious
information on the progress or otherwise of IT-related projects and
programmes.
Under the government’s plans, departments will be able to
include ministerial time in calculating whether the costs of
answering applications under the Freedom of Information Act exceed
£600. If civil servants expect the costs to exceed £600 they can
refuse to give the information requested.
Once ministerial time is included in calculations, requests for
information on sensitive subjects such as the results of “Gateway
reviews” of IT project and programmes are likely to be refused on
cost grounds.
Maurice Frankel of the Campaign for the Freedom of Information
said, “Ministers often insist on personally taking any sensitive
decisions under the Freedom of Information Act. Allowing their time
to be counted means that the more politically contentious or
embarrassing the request, the greater the chance of being refused
on cost grounds. It is deeply unfair to penalise requesters because
ministers are anxious about negative publicity.”
Last week Computer Weekly revealed that ministers have approved
legal action to try and stop the publication of gateway reviews on
ID cards. Lawyers for the Office of Government Commerce will fight
a decision by the Information Commissioner under the Freedom of
Information Act to allow publication of two gateway reviews on ID
cards.
Video: Computer Weekly discusses ID card gateway
reviews on BBC’s Politics Show.
Computer Weekly: Government hires legal experts
to fight publication of ID card reviews
Daily Telegraph: Labour ‘destroying FoI
law’