Housing Associations and Public Contractors: Freedom of Information — [Mr Clive Betts in the Chair]

Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 2:56 pm on 6 March 2019.

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Photo of Andrew Slaughter Andrew Slaughter Labour, Hammersmith 2:56, 6 March 2019

My hon. Friend has a long track record of campaigning on FOI—far longer than mine—and I am grateful that he is here for the debate. Does he agree that the decision to move freedom of information to the Cabinet Office—I do not mean this to reflect on the current Minister—was a mistake? It has been put in with data protection, which is often about restricting access to information, for the right reasons. In the Ministry of Justice, and with the Justice Committee, there was a far more robust approach to calling out the Government’s questions. A reassignment of Department and Committee might be a suitable step.