Scotland’s retiring information commissioner will today make a last-ditch plea to bring greater accountability to arm’s length public bodies.
Kevin Dunion will tell MSPs that organisations such as private contractors working for the public sector should be eligible for freedom of information requests.
He will today lay a special report before the Scottish Parliament reflecting on his time as information commissioner and give evidence to the justice committee.
He will recommend that:
Additional bodies, such as local authority trusts, should be designated under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act. Charges which deter requests for information should not be introduced. The commissioner should be empowered to take evidence, under oath if necessary. Timescales to bring prosecutions for the offence of destroying information after a request for it has been made should be extended.
Mr Dunion said: ”It is testimony to the effect of FOI that information on important matters such as public sector contracts, hospital acquired infections and school closures has not only been disclosed but proactively published.”
He continued: ”It is nearly 10 years since parliament was told that powers to designate additional bodies such as local authority trusts and private contractors would be used.
”Disappointingly, successive administrations have failed to make good on this despite opinion polls showing that the public is strongly in favour of such action.”