MPs to question Information Commissioner on FOI handling in Government
The Information Commissioner, John Edwards, will be questioned on his views on the handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by Government departments and other public authorities, in his first appearance before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Likely areas of questioning
MPs will examine the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) role in promoting and enforcing the FOI Act 2000, with questions likely on the Government delays in responding to FOI requests, the backlog of FOI complaint cases at the ICO, as well as the transparency implications of using WhatsApp and other private messaging systems in government.
Since 2005 there has been a sustained trend of public authorities granting fewer FOI requests in full, with information increasingly partially or fully ‘withheld’. The reasons driving this trend and how the ICO and Cabinet Office can improve transparency will also be examined.
The Committee will also use the opportunity to follow-up on its April 2022 report which called for “greater transparency” and leadership from the Cabinet Office in its handling of FOI requests. The Government largely rejected the Committee’s recommendations, including the call for an independent audit by the ICO. The Cabinet Office oversees FOI policy in Government.