Cllr Mike Cox - Gazette Article June 2007

8.12.56pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 10th Jun 2007

Defend Freedon of Information

As many people know, there is a Bill currently going through Parliament which seeks to exempt MPs and Lords from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

This has to be one of the most outrageous proposals ever put before Parliament. MPs and Lords are the very people who introduced this important legislation to give people a right to know what public bodies and public servants, paid from the public purse, are doing and saying, and how they are spending public money. The idea that they might pass a new law to specifically exempt themselves from its effects will strike most people as utter hypocrisy.

I know both Gordon Brown and David Cameron now say they think the Bill should be amended, but surely passing any legislation of this kind where MPs and Peers single themselves out for exemption from a law that they apply to everyone else will still be seen as unjustified special treatment, and will still bring Parliament into disrepute.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Bill, Simon Hughes, has tabled an early day motion (number 1545) opposing the Bill. While the motion will not itself be voted on, I believe that strong support for it will make a difference.

Only a small minority of MPs were present to vote on the Bill when it passed through the House of Commons. If we can show a majority of MPs are opposed to this Bill then that will encourage the Lords to vote against it when they come to debate it in the next few weeks.

It's a matter of shame for Hillingdon that one of our MP's voted for the Bill and another voted to "close the debate", thus ensuring it went through without further debate.

I would urge all residents to put pressure on their MP to sign the motion. You can also sign our petition at http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/foi and you can write to them on http://www.writetothem.com