Polls Reveal Public .Lic and Political Support for Access'55 to Personal Fill
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Newspaper of the Campaign for Freedom of Information Number 10 Number 10 Polls reveal public .lic and political support for access '55 to personal fill 146 MP's say I yes' to 65 % of public say I yt Private Member's Bill to right to know Close to two-thirds of tbe Britisb public helieve that Britain I Two polls conducted on behalf of the Campaign for Freedom of Freedom of Information Act. Information, one an opinion poll of the public (see story op A major opinion poll carried out for tbe Campaign for Free posite), and one a surveyof backbench Members of Parliament, Information of a representative sample of 1909 people hy th reveal overwhelming support for legislation to allow individuals Organization produced tbe following result: to have access to files held on them by the authorities. Would you favour or oppose a Freedom ofInformation Ac right of access to information collected by public authorities, The chances of success for a Private Members Bill in the to adequate saf eguards for national security, crime preventi. autumn are high, for 146 Members of Parliament have personal privacy? indicated that they support the bill in principle, including Favour 65 per cent 54 Conservatives. Oppose 23 per cent Many have indicated theywill personally introduce the Billif Sir Frank Cooper, formek Cooper, former Perma Do n't kn ow/no opinion 11 per cent. nent Secretary at the Miretary at the Ministry of Of particular no te to tbe Prime Minister is that 69'70 of Cons. they come high in the Private Members Ballot. Defence, is the latest forrr is the latest former senior supporters want a Freedom of Information Act, and only 25~ The MPs responded to a questionnaire sent to them by the civil servant to commit lrant to commit himself to "No", three parliamentary sponsors of the Bill, SteveNorris (Conser freedom ofinformation. ofinformation. There was overwhelming support for access to personal file vative), Archy Kirkwood (Liberal), and Chris Smith (Labour). In a recent lecture he stacent lecture he stated: of the sample wanted access to medical files and 67'70 to educath The MP-sponsors expect evenmore Members to indicate their "There is now no doubt in :now no doubt in my mind • Full details - Page 5. support as a result of the positive public opinion poll. that we do need a freedomo need a freedom ofinfor- mation ace' ct" The Campaign for Freedom of Information promoted the He said that "it mighid that "it might help to Bill last autumn, but unfortunately none of its MP-supporters persuade the governmers the government to pay came high on the Ballot. Ithas, however, been introduced under rather more attention to lore attention to the inter the 10-Minute Rule procedure by Archy Kirkwood, and printed. ests of those it is elected 110se it is elected to govern Given the nature of the support now declared, it stands a much at the expense of theexpense of the private better chance in the Ballot this year. parliamentary power gaentary power game:' It applies to medical, educational, housing, social work, fostering, care, parole and probation records, and also files about pensions, benefits, grants and assistance provided to in dividuals. A recent addition is the right of employees to inspect ChrisSmith Mp, Steve Norris Mp, Archy KirkwoodMp, the all-party MPs sponsoring the Private Members Bill on Access to Personal Fil. files kept on them by their employers. It will allow individuals to discover where the records are held about them, to obtain the records, and to correct themifnecessary. There are some reasonable exemptions. Select Committe • Further details - pages 5 to 7. Party Conference meetings boost for Fol The Campaign for Freedom of Infor Labour Party Conference. 5.45 prn, The cause of freedom of informa staff association, appeared mation is holding fringemeetings at all Blackpool Trades Club, 7 Chadwick tion has been given a boost by the come round to the view tha of the major party conferences. Details: Street, Blackpool, Tuesday, September highly influential Treasury and Civil tion should be introduced. SocialDemocratic Party Conference: 30. Martin Smith (Chair), Chris Smith The Campaign for Freedmpaign for Freed om of In Service Committee ofthe House of "We cannot, on the basi 6.00pm, The Wharfdaie Room, Hotel MP, Chris Price, Maurice Frankel. formation has formed an ,n has formed an all-party Commons. very limited in' St George, Harrogate, Tuesday. Conservative PartyConference: 12.45 team of chairmen to undchairmen to underline its In its report on "Civil Servants wholeheartedly endorse thi September 16. Rt Hon Shirley Williams, pm, Kingston Suite, Durlston Court party political neutrality iJiitical neutrality in the sen and Ministers: Duties and Respon approach to open governm DesWilson. Hotel, Gervis Road, Bournemouth, sibilities" it states that: the evidence we have receiv Liberal Party Assembly: 6.l5pm, Wednesday, October 8. Steve Norris sitive year up to the electior up to the election. MP, Maurice Frankel. Chris Price (above), Price (above), former • Section 1\vo of the Official not suggest that the governr Thursday, September 25. Des Wilson, Secrets Act is now unenforceable. MauriceFrankel. Labour MP, is to beoMP, is to become co made a convincing case Cb airman of tbe Campan of tbe Campaign with • The Government has failed to some form of freedom of iJ Des Wilson, who is P residoon, who is P resident of the make a convincing case against tion act" Liberal Party for 1986-87. 'arty for 1986-87. freedom of information. On leaks, the Select COl Jonathan Aitken, Coman Aitken, Conservative The Committee emphasized that takes a hard line. "We cannc 1986 Freedom of MP, will chair the Cal chair the Campaign's its concern with the subject was a as justified any leak by a ( parliamentary advisory cootary advisory committee. narrow one - how a FOI act would vant which is designed to f Information Awards James Cornfon!, Chai Cornfon!, Chairman of affect the relationship between the policies or actions ofa 1\ TheCouneil feeFreedom of Infonnation invitessupporting organizations, in tbe Council for Freedomrcil for Freedom of Infor Ministers and their officials - but Nevertheless, it recomme dividual supporters, and otber organizations and members of the public to mation, comments: "Descomments: ''Des Wilson stated that "it seems to us that civil servants who leak sh make nomination s for its 1986Freedon of Information Awards. bas created a Campaign ced a Campaign of impec anything which makes more infor dealt with by internal disc In addition to such categoriesas the individual, the local autho~ty, and the cable political neutralitylitical neutrality, bu t it mation available as a matter of procedures and notthe cou non-governmental organization wbo bave done most to further freedom of is obvious that political sets that political sensitivities course would lessen the chances of "In our view, Section Tw information in 1986, the Council will consider nominations for ot ber will be higb over the next yogb over the next year and it (leaks), and ought to lead to better Official Secrets Act is n categories you may like to suggest . was his proposal tbat we sroposal tbat we must not working relations between civil ser enforceable". Nominations sbould be sentto tbeDirector, Campaignfor Freedom of In only act independently I independently of any vants and ministers:' The Select Committee is fnrmation, 3Endsleigb Street,London WCIH ODD. political party but be se party but be seen to do The Select Committee said that by influential Conservati so." senior civil servants, through their Terence Higgins. :~ How secrecy frufrustrates publi knowledge on m nuclear powe In the aftermath of Chernobyl, there 340 day Sizewell Inquiry. Ashdown, MP, th at Magno, MP, th at Magnox reactors CEGB. The UKAEA stated that a FoE Britain' has brought the NR has been much talk of "openness" and In June 1968 severe corrosion would not be issued with rot be issued with a construc request for the document would have public's attention. of the need Uta communicate with the problemswith steel components inside tion licence today. All the mce today. All the more reason been refused for "commercial reasons". The NRPB is, however, or public". Alistair Goodlad, Parliamen the reactor core were discovered by for the full disclosure of eull disclosure of all accident The clear impli catio n of these a number of a committees to tary Under Secretar y of State for chance. Corrosion of key bolts and reports and the 20-year revmd the 20-year reviews rather examples is that access to original data established in recent yean Energy, has written to Friends of the straps surrounding the graphite blocks than short summaries. nt summaries. and reports is essential if safety in include the Committee on tb Earth indicating that the "Government moderating the nuclear reaction and Magnox reactors were supx reactors were supplanted by reactors is to be assured. Summaries Effects of Radi ati on in the is encouraging great openness in the other components was occurring, lead the supposedly more pposedly more efficient of reports are inadequ ate, since the UK ment (COMARE), the Advis operations of th e nuclear industry". ing to a number of bolts snapping and Advanced-Gas-Cool ed ed -Gas-Coole d Reactors nuclear industry is loat h to suggest mittee on Safety of Nuclei The self-congrat ulatory tone of a narrowing of the entry points (stand (AGR's) in the late 1960's. in the late 1960's. A similar differences in opinion between its own lations (ACSNI) the Radioac Government Ministers however, as they pipes) into the reactor. The CEGB's lack of safety infc rrne safety in fo rmati on has experts.