A Brighton MP is preparing a bill to bring the King and the royal household under the Freedom of Information Act.
Siân Berry has shared her intention to amend the 26-year-old law which gave members of the public a general right to request information from authorities, such as Whitehall departments or local councils.
The royal household and sovereign are not public authorities within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and other public authorities can refuse to disclose their communications with the sovereign and his wider office.
Ms Berry told the Press Association that allowing the release of documents and data related to the royals would “be a huge step for transparency in what has been a shadowy institution for far too long”.
Her draft Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill would extend to the Royal Archive, a collection of documents stretching back more than 250 years based at Windsor Castle’s Round Tower, and the duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster.
The government has recently faced calls to publish documents related to the royal family which would not normally be released under existing laws.
This reached a crescendo when MPs earlier this year voted to demand the release of papers related to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a special representative for trade and investment in 2001.
A 31-page dossier published in response revealed efforts were made to stop the former Duke of York being offered “golfing functions” overseas and that he favoured “ballet rather than the theatre”.
Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February and interviewed under caution before being released under investigation.
Ms Berry, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, told PA: “It is outrageous that there is a specific carve-out under freedom of information legislation for the royal family.
“This unnecessarily shields what should be a perfectly normally accountable part of our constitution and it has to go.”
Ms Berry said that her proposal was designed to enhance scrutiny the royal family’s use of public assets, “things that are part of the job, not part of their own private lives”.
The bill would need to be presented to Parliament and gain approval from MPs and peers before any change in the law.
The Freedom of Information Act includes several exemptions, for example, to prevent information being released about secret special forces missions or MPs’ residential addresses.
Section 37 of the law exempts “communications with the sovereign” and related people, such as their heirs, from the law.
Also exempt is information which could “prejudice” the UK’s relationship with foreign governments, advice to ministers about how they should draw up government policy and secrets which could compromise national security.
The government is not thought to be backing any moves to bring the royal family into freedom of information legislation.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.brightonandhovenews.org ’
