NUJ supports bill to broaden scope of FOI laws
The NUJ has backed legislative proposals to bring the King and the Royal Household under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act with the aim of promoting transparency and press freedom.
A bill introduced on 14 July by Sian Berry, MP for Brighton Pavilion and NUJ parliamentary group member, calls for the removal of section 37, which exempts “communications with the sovereign” and related people, such as their heirs, from the law. Having passed its first reading, it is now scheduled for a second reading on 13 November.
The FOI Act gives journalists and the public the right to request recorded information from public bodies, and the NUJ agrees that extending the scope of the Act to include the monarchy would improve transparency and accountability.
The bill, which has attracted cross-party support, would also add a number of royal institutions to the list of Public Authorities in the Act, including the Royal Family, the Royal Household, and the Royal Archive at Windsor Castle which houses records from the last 250 years.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
“Freedom of Information laws were created to uphold the public’s right to know and promote transparency and accountability - vital principles within any democracy. There are several exemptions within The Freedom of Information Act to balance openness with protecting personal privacy, public safety, and the effective running of public affairs.
“There’s no clear justification for the section 37 carve-out, which does nothing to safeguard these principles. Rather it undermines press freedom and journalists' right to report, obstructing their ability to uncover stories in the public interest and hold the highest public institution in the land to account.
“Journalists must be able to do their job. Last month a tribunal refused a claim by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to claw back £14,000 from freelance journalist and NUJ member Barnie Choudhury. The NUJ labelled the decision a sensible one, and our parliamentary group has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling for a review and for more to be done to prevent other instances in the future. We urge MPs to support it.”
Sian Berry said:
“In Britain, the Royal Family can remain aloof thanks to outrageous carve-outs under the Freedom of Information Act.”
“This outrageous exemption unnecessarily shields what should be a perfectly normally accountable part of our constitution, and it has to go.”
“Allowing the release of documents and data related to the royals would be a huge step for transparency, and enable the public, politicians and the press can truly hold this shadowy institution to account.”
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