Private firms face FOI rules in shake-up

Mr Hughes said the coalition was changing the FOI code of practice to make sure Government contractors were subject to the rules which gives public access to recorded information held by public authorities when requested.

Private companies carrying out Government work – a current example being G4S running prisons – will have “freedom of information requirements” in their contracts in future, he said.

The Lib Dem Minister said he hoped the new code of practice will be in place before 2015.

He was replying to a question from Labour’s Lindsay Roy who asked when the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 would be extended.

During justice questions, Mr Hughes replied: “We intend to publish a revised code of practice to make sure that those private companies which carry out public functions have freedom of information requirements in their contracts and go further than that and we hope that will be in place by the end of this year.”