Days after the Information
Tribunal
ordered the government to reveal the results of the Office of
Government Commerce's Gateway reviews of big public IT
projects, justice minister Jack Straw has vowed to clamp down on
Freedom of Information requests.
The move came just after Straw told parliament he would veto the
publication of cabinet minutes related to the decision to go to war
in Iraq.
New restrictions could be placed on the disclosure of the
identities of civil servants, the release of cabinet documents and
the publication of advice by officials.
A review published last month recommended secret documents be
published after 15 rather thn 30 years. Ministers and officials
could use this to bring in new restrictions on releasing
information.
This followed a backlash in Whitehall over the material they
were being forced to release by the ICO and the Information
Tribunal.