One of the UK's leading open government advocates has welcomed the Belfast
Telegraph's drive for greater transparency at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The Open Stormont campaign, launched yesterday, is based on five key
proposals to improve accountability in the corridors of power.
It covers such issues as protecting the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act,
ending secrecy over donations to parties, and addressing controversies
surrounding MLA expenses.
Commenting on the campaign, veteran open government expert Maurice Frankel
underlined the importance of FOI.
He said the legislation had helped highlight concerns about expenses claimed
at Westminster, Edinburgh and Stormont.
Mr Frankel, who is the director of the London-based Campaign for Freedom of
Information, added: "The public no longer has confidence that
politicians can regulate their own affairs.
"There needs to be proper external scrutiny - and FOI is a key element
of that scrutiny."
A positive response to the Open Stormont campaign also came from the
Taxpayers' Alliance, a prominent UK-wide pressure group.
Its chief executive Matthew Elliott said: "Freedom of Information is a
crucial tool in holding politicians and the public sector to account.
"They are our employees, spending our money so we all have a right to
know what goes on and at what cost. Freedom of Information should be
protected at all costs; if anything, it should be extended much further."
The five points of the "Open Stormont" campaign are:
€ A review of the Assembly's current way of publishing MLA finances;
€ That MLAs should declare in the register of interests details of family
members on their payrolls;
€ A review of constituency office rental arrangements, with independent
rental valuations for offices that have been rented from family members and
political parties;
€ A pledge from all parties that the secrecy about their donations will
finally end in 2010; and
€ That there will be no dilution of the Freedom of Information Act.
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