Recommendation 3

It is disappointing that the Cabinet Office rejected the Information Commissioner’s Office’s offer to undertake a Freedom of Information Audit, and we are concerned both by this refusal itself and by the precedent this may set across Government. The Cabinet Office’s decision was misjudged given the Information Commissioner’s Office’s Freedom of Information expertise and, importantly, the Commissioner’s independence. The Information Commissioner’s Office, as the official statutory regulator for Freedom of Information and Data Protection, is better placed than any other organisation to undertake a review of this kind. The basis for this rejection therefore remains unclear, and we are unconvinced by the explanations from the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office’s internal review, launched only after the Committee initiated this inquiry, is no substitute for the independent assurance that the Information Commissioner’s Office would be able to provide.