Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill in the Lords

The House of Lords is due to vote on the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill later this month. Having initially insisted that it was a matter 'for Parliament to decide', both Gordon Brown and David Cameron are now saying they oppose the Bill 'in its current form', adding to the ongoing strong Liberal Democrat opposition to the bill.

"Unlock Democracy" (www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk) are urging people to help increase the pressure on the Lords to reject the bill, saying:

"While this is progress, it still leaves the way open for them to support an amendment which would commit Parliament to publishing MPs expenses, as they are currently, but would still exempt Parliament from the FOI Act more generally. This would mean that more detailed publishing of expenses, as happens in the Scottish Parliament could be blocked.

"Unlock Democracy believes this Bill is irredeemable and should be rejected by Parliament. If there is a case for tightening laws on protecting MP's constituents' privacy, which is debateable as the law is quite clear, it should be done by amending the Data Protection Act, not exempting MPs from a law that strengthens their accountability more widely.

"We are asking people to do the following on this:

-Write to a member of the House of Lords and ask them to vote against this Bill. You can use the WriteToThem website to write to a random Lord.

-Write to your MP and ask them to sign Early Day Motion 1545. Early Day Motions ('EDMs') are a way MPs can express an opinion for the public record. As such they are a useful way to hold your MP to account. Again, WriteToThem allows you to do this quickly and simply.

-Write a letter to your local paper. Letters pages are one of the most read sections in local papers. If your local MP voted for the Bill, criticise them. If your local MP voted against the Bill, praise them. If they didn't turn up, urge them to sign EDM 1545."