Brown Will Not Block Secrecy Bid

[TriWooOx]

Quote:Gordon Brown has rejected calls to block a controversial move by MPs to get out of freedom of information laws.

MPs pushed the plan closer to becoming law earlier in what critics called a "shameful day for Parliament".

The MPs say they want to protect private letters from constituents - but critics say the move would also allow them to keep their expenses secret.

A spokesman for Mr Brown, who has pledged more "open" politics, said he also promised not to dictate to MPs.

"Gordon has also spoken about the sovereignty of Parliament. If MPs have voted this measure through then that is a matter for them", his spokesman said.

'Ashamed'

Critics say despite its neutral stance, the government is in favour of the Private Members' Bill and has allowed it the time to progress through Parliament.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, who has led calls to block the Freedom of Information (Exemption) Bill, claims MPs were prevented from debating it more fully earlier, saying the events made him "ashamed to be an MP".

He is to make a formal complaint to the Commons speaker after MPs voted for the bill to proceed by 96 to 25 to the Lords for further consideration.

During a five-hour debate critics from across the political spectrum attacked the bill, saying it was aimed at keeping MPs' expenses secret.

But Tory backbencher David Maclean, who is sponsoring it, said it would protect MPs' correspondence.

Mr Baker and fellow critics had hoped to "talk out" the bill by using up all its allocated time in the Commons, but with five minutes to go before time ran out supporters voted for it to proceed to the Lords.

If passed, the FOI bill would effectively remove both the Commons and House of Lords from the list of public authorities obliged to release information under the 2000 act, which came into force in 2005.

The bill also protects all MPs' correspondence from release and stops authorities, such as councils or companies, confirming or denying whether they have received a letter from an MP.

'Flickering candle'

During the debate, Mr Baker described the Freedom of Information Act as "a flickering candle" which "could be extinguished in many ways" by the bill.

"Let me make it plain the best solution entirely is that this bill doesn't go through because the present arrangements are working really quite well and there is no need to change them."

After the vote, he vowed to continue his fight to block the bill.

"It is an effrontery for the House of Commons to make the deeply hypocritical move of exempting itself from a law that applies to every other public body in the country."

Ministers

He continued: "It is also deeply undemocratic that MPs on both the government and Conservative benches have clearly collaborated to ensure that those with a contrary view, fighting for open government, were silenced after barely any debate on amendments to the bill."

The government has said it is neutral on the issue, prompting claims it tacitly backs a bid to undermine its own laws.

However, several ministers voted in favour of third reading, including Caroline Flint, Phil Woolas, Joan Ryan, Meg Munn, Ian McCartney, Tony McNulty, Parmjit Dhanda, and Maria Eagle.

Members of the backbench committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party had emailed colleagues to say they "feel strongly" that the bill's measures were "worthy of support".

During the debate, Mr Maclean said his bill was necessary" to give an absolute guarantee that the correspondence of members of parliament, on behalf of our constituents and others, to a public authority remains confidential."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6667431.stm

[Sharaz]

Yet again those in power are deciding that there will be one law for them and another for us. Those in power in this country are elected by the people and are therefore answerable to the people, so if anything the Freedom of Information Act should apply more to them than anyone else on this group islands called Great Britain. The excuse they use for backing this bill is that they need to protect correspondence received from Joe Bloggs etc. when in reality it is to hide their expense claims and work carried out for companies. To see a so called Socialist Government and its MP's backing this blatant disregard for its people will surely come back and bite them in the ass come election time again.

[justice]

All three main parties in the UK are all in bed togeather so voting is not the answer here and it's just a sham to make the sheeple think that they can change things.

You can all be sure your taxes will keep going up and you will be over run with immigrants and kiss good any hopes about a pension good bye.

Yes folks the farmers are doing very well indeed.

[Sharaz]

Have just watched the news on BBC and Brown says he will make Government and its institutions more open. Those fighting it out for the deputy leadership appear to be of the same view. Even had the Tory education minister on TV this morning saying the vote for this was an embarassment for British politics. So if the concensus of opinion of those higher up the political ladder seem to think the Freedom of Information Act should apply to all, then what have those lower down in the political hierarchy got to hide?. I for one would surely like to know, now. If Government is to be more honest and open then the House of Lords need to throw out The Freedom of Information (exemption) Bill out and pressure should be put on all politicians in the House of Commons to defeat it when it is returned to their jurisdiction.