An important article by Rachel Sylvester today, on the implications of the Damian Green arrest. She sees it as a sympton of wider dissatisfaction with the way government information is disseminated:
“The Freedom of Information Act, designed to open up the workings of the political elite to the masses, has, they believe, turned into a huge distraction. Last week, the Cabinet Secretary made clear his irritation when he gave evidence to a tribunal considering whether the minutes of Cabinet meetings in the run-up to the war in Iraq should be released. Other senior civil servants moan about the time they spend on freedom of information requests. ‘The whole thing has become a nightmare,’ says one permanent secretary. ‘It is starting to hamper the way in which Government works.’ They have a point. Of course, as a journalist I am all in favour of getting as much information as possible. But there comes a time when the public interest means that some things should be kept private. If the Information Commissioner decides that the details of Cabinet meetings should be released it will become almost impossible for ministers to have a frank discussion. Officials have already become more circumspect in the advice they give for fear that their private musings will be released. People are reluctant to put things on paper. Even in e-mails civil servants use codenames, or replace some letters with asterisks when discussing individuals – so that a search for the person’s name under the Freedom of Information Act, would draw a blank. Legislation that was meant to encourage more openness has, in fact, led to greater obfuscation. Sir Gus jokes with investigative journalists at parties that it is his job to frustrate their inquiries; the Civil Service sees its role as to block any important requests, which means that only trivia (such as the guest lists for dinners at Chequers or the amount of money MPs claim on expenses) is revealed. ‘Most ministers think that the Freedom of Information Act is a joke and a waste of taxpayers’ money,’ says one government member. ‘It’s killing the system.'”
Like most people, I’m all for greater transparency. To some extent, the Freedom of Information Act provides that. But it’s clear that – from the perspective of both the political classes and those making FOI requests – the current system needs refining or maybe even fixing wholsesale. If any CoffeeHousers with a knowledge of the workings of these things have any ideas, do let us know in the comments section.
P.S. I liked this detail in Sylvester’s piece: “Many [FOI] requests are a waste of time – one questioner asked how much money was spent on Ferrero Rocher chocolates by British embassies…” Classic.
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