Absolutely. There is all the difference in the world between public policy correspondence and private representations on personal matters to do with somebody’s health, for example—which my hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) mentioned earlier—or their immigration status, their educational background or housing, about which I get hundreds of letters. Those are entirely different. Everyone here would defend to the utmost the right of the public to know what we say about public policy. The arguments that we put on public policy and the replies that we get from the Government about them are perfectly proper matters for the public to know about. However, we would also defend the current legislative arrangements, under which inquiries connected with people’s personal circumstances are not public property.
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill
Proceeding contribution from
Simon Hughes
(Liberal Democrat)
in the House of Commons on Friday, 18 May 2007.
It occurred during Debate on bills on Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
460 c929 
Session
2006-07
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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