Falconer: Says open government is good government

Lord Falconer has pledged that the government will not charge prohibitive fees for data under the Freedom of Information Act.

Interviewed in the Guardian, the constitutional affairs secretary said the legislation "marks a big cultural change in the way government is conducted".

The minister said a more open approach will lead to better government.

"This is regarded as a really big deal in Whitehall. We are determined that it will make a big difference, and believe it will produce evidence-based, higher quality government," he said.

More than 100,000 public bodies will be affected by the legislation, which comes into effect on January 1 next year.

Some bodies, such as the police, fear they could be swamped by requests for information from members of the public.

No burdens

However Falconer insists the legislation "will not place undeliverable burdens on public authorities".

He also denied suggestions that a series of exemptions will result in only partial access to information.

"For the first time, the individual will have a statutory right to ask for information and be given an answer. Very few of the exemptions are contentious - national security, criminal justice, protection of collective responsibility," he said.

"The issue is not the existence or number of exemptions, but how they will operate. It is the approach of government that will determine whether the [act] represents a change of culture.

"We are absolutely determined that the exemptions should only be used in the interest of good government and not increase secrecy ultimately." 

The Cabinet minister went on to say that people will "discover more why things are done to them, or for them".

"That is far more material than ever before and it will be made available as a matter of course. There will be exemption for people who gave evidence in confidence, such as failures of health and safety at work," he told the newspaper.

"And there also needs to be a sense that people can disagree with one another in government and in private - since we have a system of collective responsibility."