This is the system which protects the status and the integrity of official government information. It also underpins the charging regime that exists for certain tradeable information-based services. I hope to publish the results of this in a Green Paper very shortly. The second initiative will be a published paper setting out factual and background material relevant to the production of the White Paper. This fulfils the commitment I made while the White Paper was being prepared and is in line with the good practice set out in the White Paper itself, which commits government to the maximum possible disclosure of factual and background information behind policy decisions.
Openness is fundamental to the political health of a modern state.
This White Paper marks a watershed in the relationship between the government and people of the United Kingdom. At last there is a government ready to trust the people with a legal right to information. There are matters, such as national security or personal privacy, where information has to be protected. Government themselves need some protection for their internal deliberations. I believe our proposals strike a proper balance between extending people's access to official information and preserving confidentiality where disclosure would be against the public interest.