A select committee of MPs has criticised the Cabinet Office over its “poor” handling of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, calling for greater transparency of the process.
The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) on Friday published the report of its inquiry into the “Freedom of Information Clearing House”—a body within the Cabinet Office that assists with the processing of FOI requests—urging the Cabinet Office to agree to an independent audit of the Clearing House, and to “improve the tone from the top [of the government] and drive stronger FOI culture through proactive leadership.”
The Clearing House, which was little known by the public, came under scrutiny after independent media platform openDemocracy made a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2019 over the Cabinet Office’s refusal to disclose an FOI list operated by the Clearing House.
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