'No evidence' for info law change

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/6238512.stm

Version 0 of 1.

There is no evidence that the Freedom of Information Act needs to be limited, MPs have said.

Government plans for new cost limits on FoI requests were "unnecessary, unpopular and undesirable" the constitutional affairs committee added.

It said the changes could allow public bodies to dodge embarrassing or difficult questions.

The government, which is consulting on restricting the act, has said changes could save £4.7m a year.

The committee examined proposals to extend the current £600 limit on processing requests, to include the time taken by officials and ministers to consider them.

Costs and benefits

It would also mean several requests by one company, organisation or individual, even on different topics, could be dealt with together.

The committee criticised ministers for failing to provide evidence the changes were necessary, saying an analysis of the costs and benefits of the proposed limits had been incomplete.

No clear evidence to support the decision that a change to the charging regime was necessary has been published Committee report

"We conclude that the proposed regime could result in public authorities avoiding answers to embarrassing, contentious or high-profile cases," the report said.

"No clear evidence to support the decision that a change to the charging regime was necessary has been published."

'Sabotage' claim

The committee chairman, Liberal Democrat Alan Beith, said: "The FoI Act works. It enhances the rights of the public.

"Neither the government nor MPs should be seeking to limit its effectiveness, and there is no evidence here to support either the government's proposals on fees or the bill.

"I am hopeful that both will now be dropped."

You've got to strike some balance Lord Falconer

The committee also criticised a separate private member's bill which aimed to exempt MPs and peers from the Act altogether.

Director of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, Maurice Frankel, accused the government of trying to sabotage FoI legislation and said the new Labour leader Gordon Brown should "kill off both sets of malodorous proposals".

A review of the impact of the Act last year found requests cost central government £24.4m a year and other public authorities £11.1m a year.

More than 100,000 public bodies, including government departments, councils, the NHS, and universities, have been subject to FoI requests since 2005.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, has previously defended the government's proposals, saying: "You've got to strike some balance between it being free to the public, but not having civil servants or local authorities or central government spending a disproportionate amount of time answering the requests."