Ministers spend their time vetting FOI requests that cost millions

Ministers spend their time vetting FOI requests that cost millions

Ministers are personally vetting thousands of controversial freedom of information requests, causing a bottleneck that is costing the taxpayer millions.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, is proposing a draconian crackdown on the public’s right to access information held by the State. He has claimed that the introduction of rules opening up Whitehall are clogging up government and distracting ministers.

Freedom of information curbed (The Times, 18 October 2006)