The Sunday Herald, Paul Hutcheon, 20/4/2008

HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS, private prisons and corporations will all be subject to freedom of information (FoI) legislation if a new bill is passed at Holyrood.

LibDem MSP Robert Brown is to introduce a member's bill to extend the public's right to know to dozens more bodies that deliver public services, overriding many of the exemptions in the 2002 Freedom of Information Scotland Act, including state schools and hospitals.

Top of Brown's list is the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), Europe's largest social landlord, which was created following the previous Scottish Executive's stock transfer policy.

GHA and other housing associations were never included on the government's FoI list, a loophole Brown wants closed. He also believes Kilmarnock prison, run by a private company, should come under the FoI ambit.

The LibDem MSP also wants to change the Act so that citizens will find it easier to obtain details of private finance initiative (PFI) projects in their area, reforming the Act's exemption for "commercial confidentiality".

Other public bodies to be included in the updated list are the office of the Children's Commissioner, the National Theatre of Scotland and arm's- length leisure companies set up by local authorities.

Brown will launch his bid to reform the law with publication of a pre-legislative consultation.

It is understood the Scottish government is sympathetic to updating the FoI list. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill launched a consultation on extending the Act when in opposition, saying at the time: "The increasing use of the private sector in public services has raised concerns that areas that would have been open to public scrutiny by using FoI on a public body would be closed."

Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion said: "There is a strong argument to extend the scope of FoI to protect people's rights where changes in the way public services are being delivered put these under threat. For example, the transfer of housing stock from local authority control to housing associations can mean tenants are losing their rights to information at a stroke.