Thurrock MP Andrew Mackinlay has mounted a campaign to cut through Government red tape.

He has introduced a Freedom of Information Bill to Parliament and is calling on public authorities and former public utilities to be more open.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the MP said there had been a commitment to such a Bill in Labour Party manifestos since 1974.

But as the Bill was introduced under the "10-Minute Rule" it has little chance of becoming law, because there will be no time in the Government's legislation programme.

Mr Mackinlay said: "We desperately need to change the public service culture on the keeping of records and public access to such records."

The Bill also includes the security services, police and Crown Prosecution Service, but says the MP, it also includes safeguards "to guarantee that those important functions were not impeded in any way."

He went on: "My Bill envisages that every ministry, public agency or former public utility that is now in private ownership would designate a senior person to listen to the arguments of those seeking access, and of any agency refusing to grant access by claiming the disclosure would cause substantial harm."

Mr Mackinlay added that an example of unreasonable secrecy was that when he asked Prime Minister Tony Blair for "the dates on which the Cabinet has met since the General Election, I was not able to have that information".

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