Proposals for freedom of information in the United Kingdom

In December 1997, the New Labour Government published its plans to introduce legislation on freedom of information in what many presumed would be the second parliamentary session of its regime. This legislation was to be an important component of the government's plans for constitutional change in the U.K. which, in their entirety, amount to the most dramatic constitutional development the British have witnessed since the 17th century. Government in the U.K. has been steeped in a tradition of secrecy and zealous protection of official information, unthinking conservatism and enduring allegiance to tradition and hierarchy. The government's emphasis on openness and access to information is seen as a central feature of a constitution fit for a new millennium. What precisely is envisaged in this program of openness?.