Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Gemma Doyle Excerpts
Wednesday 29th January 2014

(10 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Gemma Doyle Portrait Gemma Doyle (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab/ Co-op)
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T3. Last week, the Information Commissioner said that there were “serious shortcomings” in the Cabinet Office’s handling of freedom of information requests and called the Department’s poor performance “particularly disappointing”. Why is the Minister setting such a bad example, given that his Department is supposed to lead on openness and transparency across Government?

Lord Maude of Horsham Portrait Mr Maude
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It will be clear to the hon. Lady that the Cabinet Office deals with some of the most complex and difficult freedom of information requests, a lot of them involving previous Government papers, for which a long consultation process has to be entered into before any decision can be made. The situation will be better in some quarters than others, but in general our record is good.