Official concealment
Sir: The saga of secrecy in British Steel is a disgrace. The Corporation is owned by the people of Britain. Their representatives in Parliament must have the right of access, in commercial confidence if necessary, to all the papers relating to its business affairs. When a public corporation is losing £1 mil lion a day of the citizens' money, then the right of access is one which must be granted immediately.
I fear that secrecy is being used to conceal too much bad management in public life in Britain. The last years have seen a spread of secrecy in Whitehall until it has become a cancer in public life. Huge sums of tax payers' money are being dealt out behind closed doors; a secret £1,000 million loan to Russia, secret donations to the Polish ship order, and now the secrecy over British Steel.
Only with a Freedom of Information Act can the Government restore democracy to Whitehall and major institutions of the state.
Kenneth Warren (MP), Chairman, Freedom of Information Campaign, House of Commons, London SW1
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