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COMMONS Speaker John Bercow was accused yesterday of dodging public scrutiny by suppressing reports detailing the scale of alcohol-related problems at Westminster.
The Speaker has invoked a loophole in the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to withhold material thought to raise concerns about the extent of drinking in Westminster’s subsidised bars.
The Press Association requested the information after a series of drunken escapades involving MPs.
In 2012 former MP Eric Joyce was convicted of assaulting a fellow politician during a brawl in the Strangers’ Bar, while another ex-member, Mark Reckless, confessed to missing a late-night parliamentary vote in 2010 because he was too drunk.
The FOI request sought “any evidence or reports produced by the Safety, Health and Wellbeing Service regarding the provision and consumption of alcohol on the parliamentary estate and related health effects.”
House authorities admitted they held “correspondence and reports,” but cited section 36 — exempting Parliament from the public interest weighting — as grounds for keeping them secret.
The Speaker believes “disclosure of this information would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice and the free and frank exchange of views for the purposes of deliberation,” the response said.
“Further correspondence is withheld under 36(2)(c) because the Speaker of the House of Commons also considers that the disclosure of this correspondence would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs.”
Campaign for Freedom of Information director Maurice Frankel said Mr Bercow appeared to be “avoiding scrutiny” to prevent damage to the reputation of MPs.
