Government consultation resppnses to the Independent Review of Administrative Law

The request was refused by Ministry of Justice.

Dear Ministry of Justice,

I note the Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL), chaired by Lord Faulks, has now published its report.

On page 188 of the report, the committee lists the government departments/agencies/bodies who responded to the call for submissions:

GOV001 Arun District Council
GOV002 Attorney General’s Office
GOV003 Crown Prosecution Service
GOV004 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
GOV005 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
GOV006 Department for Education
GOV007 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
GOV008 Department of Health and Social Care
GOV009 Department for Infrastructure Planning Group
GOV010 Department for International Trade
GOV011 Department for Transport
GOV012 Department for Work and Pensions
GOV013 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
GOV014 HM Treasury
GOV015 Home Office
GOV016 Leicestershire CC
GOV017 Local authorities (Islington Council, North Norfolk District Council Eastlaw, Three Rivers District Council)
GOV018 Maidstone, Swale and Tunbridge Wells councils
GOV019 Medway Council
GOV020 Ministry of Defence
GOV021 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
GOV022 NHS Resolution
GOV023 No. 10 Downing Street
GOV024 Ofsted
GOV025 Planning Inspectorate
GOV026 Scottish Government
GOV027 Serious Fraud Office
GOV028 Welsh Government

Please supply these submissions.

If this information is exempt under s.21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ("the Act"), please indicate where online I might be able to view and download the submissions.

If this information is exempt under s.22 of the Act, please indicate the date on which it is to be published, and where.

A previous (albeit broader) request of this nature made on 2 February (your reference 210202022) and was refused under section 35 (1)(a) of the FOIA because it related to the formulation or development of government policy. In the Ministry's response to me on 2nd March 2021, the factors that weigh against disclosure were helpfully set out:

"The Government must have a safe space in which to consider the relevant material, develop policy options and reach decisions away from external interference and distraction." ... "Policy formulation is ongoing at the moment and this process could be damaged by the premature release of the requested information." ... "Its release would lead to comment and speculation about the substance of policy that was still under development and time would be wasted responding to such comment and speculation." ... "This, in turn, would potentially cause delay to the overall process, setting back the Government’s work towards publishing its response to the IRAL report."

Now the report has been published and the committee has been wound up, these considerations no longer apply. This means that the s.35 exemption no longer applies either.

Yours faithfully,

Robert Sharp

Disclosure Team, Ministry of Justice

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JudicialReview, Ministry of Justice

2 Attachments

Dear Robert,

 

Please see acknowledgement letter for this FOI request.

 

Kind Regards,

Judicial Review Reform team

 

[1]269-2699119_justice-png-uk-ministry-of-justice-logo Judicial Review
Reform team

Ministry of Justice
| 102 Petty France

 

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JudicialReview, Ministry of Justice

2 Attachments

Dear Mr. Sharp,

 

Please find attached the response for this FOI request.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Judicial Review Reform team

 

 

[1]269-2699119_justice-png-uk-ministry-of-justice-logo Judicial Review
Reform team

Ministry of Justice
| 102 Petty France

 

 

 

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