NORTH EAST LIB DEMS URGE LORDS TO VOTE AGAINST KEEPING SECRETS (Fiona Hall MEP)

Fiona Hall MEP <info@fionahall.org.uk>

NORTH EAST LIB DEMS URGE LORDS TO VOTE AGAINST KEEPING SECRETS

June 12, 2007 12:00 AM

North East Liberal Democrats are calling on members of the House of Lords to vote down the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, calling it a "self serving and anti-democratic proposal".

At their summer conference on Saturday, members of the party voted unanimously to campaign against the bill which has been picked at by MPs in a bid to keep details like travel expenses secret from the public.

Senior Councillor Ron Beadle, parliamentary spokesperson for Newcastle North, proposed the motion to the conference and called for all political parties to support the Freedom of Information Act, with no special exemptions. He said:

"The Freedom of Information Act should be strengthened, not weakened.

"The proposal is self-serving and anti-democratic. MPs who have supported it clearly have something to hide."

The House of Lords will be voting on the bill with the amendment made by MPs to make travel expenses, paid for by the tax payer, secret.

North East MEP Fiona Hall urged the Lords to vote down the amended bill, she said:

"Amending the bill in this way will only serve to increase the cynicism of the public towards all elected representatives and will further erode public confidence in our political system."

Rt Hon Alan Beith, MP for Berwick upon Tweed added:

"MPs should not be excluded from the laws on openness.

"There should not be one rule for MPs and another for everyone else."

North East MPs who voted for the bill to exempt MPs:

Ronnie Campbell MP

Doug Henderson MP

Kevan Jones MP

Fraser Kemp MP

Peter Aitkinson MP

Liberal Democrats have launched a petition against the attempt to put MPs outside the freedom of information laws. Sign it online now.

More information can also be found on the Campaign for Freedom of Information website.