Coalition plans for FOI
The coalition's published this morning promises to "extend the scope of the Freedom of Information Act" - but is surprisingly lacking in further detail, given the campaign promises made by both the Conservative and Lib Dem parties.
The Conservatives that "within weeks of the general election" they would extend the FOI Act to a wider range of bodies, including Network Rail, Northern Rock, the Carbon Trust, the Energy Saving Trust, the NHS Confederation, the Local Government Association and Traffic Penalty Tribunals.
The also backed bringing Network Rail under FOI, along with other "private companies delivering monopoly public services".
But the new coalition's programme says nothing about how the Act will now be extended. The lack of specifics here is in contrast to the extensive detail given on other measures to increase the transparency of the state.
They include enforcing much greater online disclosure of salaries and expenses of senior officials, ICT contracts, council spending over £500 and central government spending over £25,000; and also creating a "right to data" so that the public can request and use government datasets.
These plans are closely modelled on the ideas that were proposed in the .
Meanwhile the that the minister with specific responsibility for FOI policy will be the department's Lib Dem minister, Lord (Tom) McNally.
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