Whitehead says MPs' exemption from FoI 'totally wrong'

25th May 2007

Alan Whitehead has signed the EDM 1565 relating to the recent vote in the Commons on the Freedom of Information Act:

That this House believes it would be totally wrong to remove the House of Commons from the scope of the Freedom of Information Act while leaving 110,000 other public bodies within its scope;
considers that the House of Commons should be on the same footing as other public bodies;
acknowledges that it is vital that the Act continues to exempt correspondence between hon. Members and constituents and continues to exempt the identity and personal details of constituents if they are referred to in correspondence between hon. Members and public bodies;
acknowledges that risks can arise if constituents’ identities and personal details are disclosed in error;
and believes that a clarification of the law governing the disclosure of hon Members’ correspondence would be welcomed on all sides.