FOI: Scotland to explore extending its reach

tim — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:28:04 +0000

The Scottish Government has raised the prospect of extending the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act to cover more organisations carrying out certain public functions.

Parliamentary Business Minister Bruce Crawford said the Government is committed to fully exploring the issues around coverage but stressed that a final decision on extending coverage would be taken only after consultation with interested parties and those organisations potentially affected.

As a first step, Mr Crawford will have discussions with interested parties about bringing within the scope of the Act the following organisations:

> Registered social landlords
> Contractors who provide public services that are a function of a public authority (for example, contractors providing prison services)
> Local authority trusts or bodies set up by local authorities (for example, bodies set up by local authorities as limited companies to run leisure facilities)

At the start of a week when the Minister will be in London and Cardiff to discuss FOI policy in the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly, Mr Crawford said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to the principles that underpin Freedom of Information legislation. Principles of openness and transparency, essential parts of open democratic government and responsive public services.

“We’ve taken steps within the Government to publish more of our material proactively. For example, we recently revised our Publication Scheme which describes the vast range of Government information we routinely publish. The First Minister also recently announced a pilot scheme within an area of the Scottish Government, which will see an increase in the amount of information made public.

“And we are committed to continually assessing whether the scope of the Act can be improved. I believe it has served the people of Scotland well but it is still a relatively new piece of legislation and many people and organisations are still getting used to both its real and potential impact.

“The organisations we are looking at in terms of coverage have not been chosen at random. They are bodies about whom concerns over a lack of coverage have consistently been raised with us. The concerns may have arisen because of changes in the way public services are delivered – for example the contracting out of services traditionally provided directly by a public authority.

“Discussions will take place before any decision is taken to formally consult. But formal consultation is not a rubber-stamping exercise. Any extension of coverage needs to be measured and appropriate.

“For example, we will look closely at the issue of the proportional impact on smaller organisations particularly in the voluntary sector.

“I am aware there are differing arguments and there is a need to balance those. But I believe it is only right to give serious thought to extending FOI coverage in Scotland.

“Later this week I will discuss FOI with the relevant UK and Welsh Ministers and share our experiences. I am keen to ensure that Scotland continues to build a reputation for greater transparency and accountability”.

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act) provides significant and important rights allowing access to recorded information.

The Act came into force on January 1, 2005 and provides a statutory right of access to information held by Scottish public authorities. These include, for example, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, local authorities, schools, colleges, NHS Scotland and the police. The Act also requires the proactive publication of certain information. Compliance with the Act is promoted and enforced by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

For Us but not Them

Ellie Keen — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 23:56:36 +0000

THE government never tires of telling us all – but especially those who work in the public sector – that belts have to be tightened.

Our companies – and, by extension, their staff – have to be leaner, meaner and fitter to compete in the global market place.

That’s why public-service workers have to accept below-inflation pay settlements, why there has to be a squeeze on health and education spending and why there isn’t enough to fund devolution for the Scottish Parliament.

It’s also why manufacturing, administrative and computer jobs have to be outsourced to eastern Europe, China and India.

Everyone has to share the burdens of the new, more competitive globalised economy, which means that workers’ existing final-salary pension schemes have to be closed – apart for some absolutely key workers for whom it would be a step too far, such as MPs, company directors and High Court judges.

But, somewhere along the line, the message just doesn’t seem to be getting through and it’s easy to understand why.

When Margaret Thatcher was Tory Prime Minister – before she shunted herself off to the lucrative US lecturing circuit – she always reminded us that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Nonsense. Free lunches abound and we’re the mugs who pay for them.

Private consultants have had free lunches by the thousand, having been engaged by the government to move into the Civil Service and to recommend savings.

They have worked out about 10 times more expensive than existing staff and now it appears that the marvellous savings on which the government had pinned its “leaner, meaner, fitter” hopes have been largely imaginary.

Jobs have been lost, services worsened and Civil Service workers are set to strike.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson has presided over cuts in staff and resources in the corporation, which has concentrated on buying in cheaper and less professional programmes, representing a decline in standards at the national broadcaster.

This, we are informed, is because the government has tightened the purse strings, holding down the BBC licence fee.

But Mr Thompson still has enough small change to bundle off three of his fellow executives to Mumbai, at a cost of £12,000, for a boozy bash to celebrate BBC activities in India.

And this at a time when the BBC executioners are lining up staff members to walk the plank.

This extravagance and wastefulness ought clearly to be a job for National Audit Office Comptroller and Auditor Sir John Bourn to look into – that’s if he’s ever in Britain long enough to be bothered.

Both he and his wife have had a whale of a time, traipsing here and there, at our expense, on what are described as business trips.

Surely he should have mentioned at his interview that he was frightened of being on his own and would have to be accompanied by his wife on overseas trips, in posh hotels and top restaurants.

But, as ever, when it’s about people at the top level, there was “no evidence of impropriety,” because he acted “in accordance with existing rules.”

Who would ever have doubted it? So that’s alright then.

civil service | ukwatch.net

FOI: Scotland to explore extending its reach

For Us but not Them