Labour Policy Watch: Freedom of Information and Privacy

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	Under the Tories, there were several high-profile instances of important information being suppressed for political reasons, e.g. over BSE or arms to Iraq. After the latter case, they did adopt an openness code and agree to suppress whole classes of documents only if their release could cause "real harm". Our privacy was invaded both officially (phone-tapping, etc.) and by an increasingly prurient press, but plans for identity (ID) cards were dropped.
	Labour policy was:
	1	A Freedom of Information (FoI) Act which would:
		Exempt only tightly defined classes of information, e.g. on defence or personal privacy, and only if release would cause substantial harm
		Leave the final decision to an Information Commissioner
	2	That official statistics should be scrutinised by an independent commission
	3	On privacy?
	4	To oppose ID cards (?)
	In fact under New Labour:
	1	A strong FoI White Paper was so completely rewritten that:
		There were large blanket exemptions including advice and even information used in formulating government policy, data from investigations by police, safety authorities, etc. and information which an authority believed would "prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs" - and new exemptions could be added when needed, as was attempted for MPs' expenses
		A disclosure order by the commissioner could be vetoed by ministers. In fact the commissioner could break the law by revealing information the public were entitled to under the Act!
	2	The statistics commission was set up and its independence later increased though it could not check the Retail Price Index used to calculate inflation and so levels of benefits etc.
	3	Rates of phone tapping and letter opening reached new records, while the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act gave wide powers to monitor private e-mails; personal information held by one public authority could be shared with others or even private companies. Plans to store phone and e-mail records would break human rights laws according to the Information Commissioner
	4	Issuing of ID cards began, backed by a national database holding a wide range of personal information and available to all government departments but not to the individual concerned
	In addition:
		The FoI Act removed some gains in the Tories openness code, e.g. the duty to publish government's internal manuals of guidance and to give reasons for decisions
		Ireland accused Britain of withholding information on its MOX plant at Sellafield
		A European Parliament report concluded that the Echelon spying system intercepted commercial and private communications, and that British involvement broke EU law
		DNA profiles could be kept for anyone arrested, even if not charged, and will be required from anyone applying for a passport
		The Information Commissioner warned that we may be "sleepwalking into a surveillance society"
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