Signatories include Guardian editor-in-chief Katharine Viner, Observer editor Paul Webster, and shadowy attorney general Andy Slaughter, former Brexit secretary David Davis and former Green Party leader Caroline. Lucas. The letter, sponsored by the online news organization openDemocracy, is addressed to the new information commissioner, John Edwards, who is in charge of FoI law, which gives members of the public the legal right to request official information from public bodies. Edwards’s office, the Office of the Information Commissioner (ICO), examines complaints against public bodies that have rejected FoI requests and may order them to release material if they have not complied with the law. However, there is growing concern among journalists and investigators that the UK FoI system is increasingly frustrated by a lack of resources and deliberate non-compliance by government agencies. The Freedom of Information Campaign recently reported that pending cases at the ICO had become so extensive that it took a full year for case officers to be tasked with handling complaints. Last year, a judge accused the Cabinet Office of “misleading” a court over the operation of an alleged blacklist of FoI requests by journalists, called the Clearing House, and described a “deep lack of transparency” around the unit. The open letter calls on the ICO to allocate more resources to FoI cases, monitor non-compliant public bodies, and enforce stronger enforcement protocols for government agencies that repeatedly violate the law. It also recommends expanding FoI to cover private companies providing public services. “As the British public remains in the dark for Partygate, the importance of transparency has rarely been more apparent,” said Peter Geoghegan, editor-in-chief of openDemocracy. “The FoI is a key tool for public accountability, but at present the Office of the Information Commissioner does not ensure that the Freedom of Information Act works. “We welcome the hearing of the new Information Commissioner and would like to share our views on how the FoI can be better policed.” Viner said: “Journalism in the public interest often depends on freedom of information laws, which help the public understand the decisions made by the authorities. Such laws are necessary for the proper functioning of democracy. “When the government fails to meet its transparency commitments, it is important that the ICO be able to intervene to ensure that ministers and public bodies comply with the law.”
