MPs FOI Bill lacks support
The Bill to exempt MPs from the Freedom of Information Act was effectively defeated today in the House of Commons by a few determined opponents MPs who fililbustered the debate - but also, it should be said, by a lack of enthusiasm among MPs at large for this measure.
If the Bill's supporters had been able to mobilise 100 MPs to back the measure, then they could have forced closure of the debate and got the Bill through the Commons despite the filibustering.
That would certainly have been an ambitious target on a Friday during the campaign for the Scottish, Welsh and local elections. But they only managed about half that number. Which suggests that most MPs on the whole are happy with the way the Act applies to them, or at least do not feel so strongly about any concerns that they would devote a Friday - and risk embarrassing publicity - to get it changed.
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Maybe the mp's didnt have the motivation to keep this bill alive as they know that the government is about to bring in its own FOI busting measure which, no doubt will do the job on expenses just as well?
Martin,
A rather muted hurrah but why are the MPs so slow on the uptake nowadays?
Their Governmental instincts on things such as this, the FOI Act itself and then the complete opposite apparently with the recent Iranian captives situation; when sensitive information was flung out for seemingly the highest offers and complete lost of control of the same info, scares me somewhat.
I await their next decision with some trepidation.
It appears that this is not finished business after all. The same topic has been put on the schedule for this coming Friday (27th April) as well. It is currently the first item but that is evidently not set in stone. See
Martin - This is excellent news. When Mr Maclean鈥檚 FOI bill first came to my attention in January, there was no info available anywhere. I went to his website -
expecting to be able to educate myself. Nothing. So I emailed him a respectful inquiry and was helpfully told 鈥淚 am afraid that Mr Maclean is unable to correspond with those outside his constituency 鈥︹ There is still absolutely no mention of FOI or his FOI bill on his website, though everything else under the sun is there - Local issues, EDMs, Petitions, Parliamentary news etc. and his home page says - 鈥淎nd you are welcome! This website is designed to help you find out about my work in Parliament and the constituency.鈥 It seems Mr Maclean didn鈥檛 want his constituents to find out about his bill, at least not from him. My own MP was a bit coy about it too. I should have made it a formal FOI request. No need now, thanks to everyone who helped draw our attention to this odd turn. Peter HOAR
But by some miracle it is back at the top of the list.
It is being put before the House again this Friday 27th.
We can but pray that more MP's have the backbone shown by those who opposed it last week.
As Ian (#5) says, the Bill will return to the Commons at first item of business on Friday. The more this saga runs, the more harm is done by and to Parliament in the eyes of the public. Whose Parliament is it, anyway?
So please contact your MP asking him/her to oppose the Bill's progress, and please take a few moments to sign my No. 10 petition against the Bill:
Barry Winetrobe asks "Whose parliament is it anyway".
It's the European Union's parliament that's whose.Our MPs just rubber stamp orders from the EU.
As for the FOI bill and their exemption from it.
I don't know how MPs have the cheek to try this on, after all their job is very well paid considering it's probably the only job that requires no experience or qualifications