The Green Ribbon

The National Archives has launched an online consultation on planned changes to the thirty year rule which governs the availability of public records to researchers. Anyone interested can contribute here.

The rationale for the changes was outlined by Gordon Brown in his speech on liberty in October:

It is an irony that the information that can be made available on request on current events and current decisions is still withheld as a matter of course for similar events and similar decisions that happened 20 or 25 years ago.

Under the present arrangements historical records are transferred to the national archives and are only opened to public access after thirty years or where explicitly requested under the FoI Act. It is time to look again at whether historical records can be made available for public inspection much more swiftly than under the current arrangements.

"More “open” government is not necessarily better government," the Policy Exchange research director argues today in a Times article on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill which has Tim Worstall wanting to know, "Who is this Dean Godson character?"

You may well ask.

Related post series:

PC Spooks?
US covert action in Britain today

To those who feel the political system doesn’t listen and doesn’t care;

To those who feel powerless and have lost faith;

To those who feel Westminster is a distant place and politics simply a spectator sport:

I will strive to earn your trust.

The aspirations of Gordon Brown's leadership acceptance speech didn't last very long, did they?

He had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his seriousness today by blocking the bill to exempt Parliament from the Freedom of Information Act.

Instead MPs have voted the bill through and the effective leader of the majority party in the Commons says it was nothing to do with him. Not good enough.

If this bill becomes law, Westminster will be that much more distant, and the public will be that much more powerless.

At least we know where we stand with Brown's supposed constitutional reform agenda.

The Prime Minister's Office has issued a response to the Downing Street petition against the proposed changes to the Freedom of Information Act, which received 1,609 signatures:

The Government recognises the importance of public participation and understanding of the functions of Government. The intention of the changes proposed is not to hinder legitimate requests for information or to reduce the effectiveness of the Act. An independent review commissioned by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs to look at the impact of the Freedom of Information Act showed that a small minority of requests and a small minority of requestors account for disproportionate amounts of the cost of answering FOI requests. The proposals are designed to address this issue and to ensure public authorities can balance access to information for all with the delivery of other public services.

On 14 December 2006 the Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs, opened a public consultation on the draft fee regulations. The Government is keen to engage as many stakeholders as possible in this consultation. The consultation paper is available at: http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/dpr2007/cp2806.htm. Responses should be sent by 8 March 2007 to:

Department for Constitutional Affairs
Information Rights Division
6.16 Selborne House
54-60 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QW

email: informationrights@dca.gsi.gov.uk

The Downing Street petition against the proposed restrictions to the Freedom of Information Act closes tomorrow (Friday 23 January). Please consider signing if you haven't already.