News from Katy Clark MSP

A statement from Labour MSP Katy Clark, on 1st September:

The Scottish Government must commit to FOI reform in programme for government 

The Scottish Government must “fully commit to root and branch reform of FOI” in its Programme for Government this week, Scottish Labour MSP Katy Clark has said. She added that the current reforms on the table are “toothless, watered down and miles off what the public are calling for”.

The Scottish Government followed Ms Clark and launched its own consultation on Freedom of Information (FOI) reforms earlier this year. However, unlike Ms Clark, who is set to launch her final proposal for a member’s bill on in the coming weeks, the Scottish Government have made no commitment to extend FOI coverage to all providers of public services.

By contrast, Ms Clark’s proposed Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill will mark the most significant reform of FOI legislation in the history of devolution. As well as extending coverage, her draft proposal includes the creation of a statutory FOI officer in public bodies, legally mandating proactive publication and strengthening the enforceable right to information.

The Programme for Government is set to be debated in the Scottish Parliament from Tuesday.

Katy Clark, who represents West Scotland for Scottish Labour, commented: “Following multiple consultations and parliamentary reports, the public expects the Scottish Government to finally deliver on overdue modernisation and reform of FOI.

“Unfortunately, the current proposals on the table from the Scottish Government are toothless, watered down and miles off what the public are calling for. Rather than wholeheartedly commit to the principle that public information should follow the public pound, the Scottish Government continue to argue for a ‘proportionate approach’ to requesting information from outsourced services.

“It is five years since the Scottish Government was placed into special measures over its own atrocious FOI performance, so it is perhaps unsurprising they refuse to act. If FOI is again absent from the Programme of Government, the public will draw its own conclusions on how seriously this government takes transparency and accountability.

“Ministers must fully commit to root and branch reform of FOI in its Programme for Government.”