Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
Ninth Report - The Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Clearing House
Published 29 Apr 2022
Paragraph 58
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee The Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Clearing House All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Cabinet Office should drive a cultural shift from mere baseline compliance with the Freedom of Information Act to a greater advocacy for the core principles and tenets of the Act through proactive leadership across Government including examining whether there is best practice to learn from international comparisons. The Committee expects to see stronger tone on the benefits to good government from Freedom of Information, and greater demonstrable action on steps taken to improve outcomes for Freedom of Information applicants. The Government should, for example, drive stronger timeliness by responding to reviews within the 20 days suggested by the Information 26 The Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Clearing House Commissioners Office.
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, Ninth Report - The Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Clearing House (HC 505), paragraph 58, 29 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 7 July 2022.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government largely does not adopt the Committee's recommendations, and in place of an external ICO audit it is relying on an internal review led by Sue Langley OBE.
- On transparency, the government "notes" the Committee's concerns but its "present view" is that quarterly statistics on referrals would be "a disproportionate use of resources for a de minimis function".
- On the ICO audit, it considers an internal review "a proportionate response"; the Langley review will look at whether further information should be published, and the government will "update Parliament and the Committee in due course".
- On practice, it states that all FOI requests are handled "on an applicant blind basis" and that it is "legitimate" for Special Advisers to assist on requests. It says it would be "wrong" for the Cabinet Office to intervene in another department's procedures.
- On the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, it says the exemption was agreed by both Houses and it "has no plans to revisit this decision". Work to revise guidance on non-corporate communication channels "has now resumed".