UK: Information Commissioner urges reform of FOI law to include private contractors
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Elizabeth Denham
Private companies which provide public services should be brought under the remit of Freedom of Information legislation, the UK’s Information Commissioner has said.
In a new report called Outsourcing Oversight?: The case for reforming access to information law, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said the existing laws “are no longer fit for purpose”.
She added: “Urgent action is required because progress has been too slow. It is now time to act. This report sets out solutions that can extend the law to make it fit for the modern age.
“I am committed to working with Government and Parliament to achieve this report’s vision of more accountable public services, regardless of how they are delivered.”
The report also argues that the UK is “falling behind our counterparts in Scotland and internationally who have done more to expand the reach of information access when services are delivered by organisations other than public authorities”.
The report has been submitted to Westminster’s public accounts committee (PAC) and public administration and constitutional affairs committee (PACAC) for their consideration.
Ms Denham said she would welcome a parliamentary inquiry via a select committee into the issues raised in the report.
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