Scottish Civil servants’ secrets set to be revealed : New freedom of information tsar promises access to ministerial diaries and briefings

Sunday Herald (Scotland)

An interesting contrast with the UK FOI regime may be emerging....

"The new information commissioner, Kevin Dunion, has set up a potential clash with ministers and mandarins at St Andrew’s House, particularly over public access to records of meetings with lobbyists. He also wants interest groups to be able to see what is being said about them in the corridors of power. In an interview, the former environmental campaigner said he planned to take a more liberal view of the freedom of information than that taken by the officials who drew up the legislation. He is preparing to police a new regime of public access to official records which will force disclosure of material whose secrecy has previously been seen as crucial to the smooth running of government"