Friday, May 16, 2008

Victory over the right to publish MP's second home details

An Hallejujah moment. And to think that £100,000 of tax payers money has been spent on trying to defend the indefensible at the behest of Speaker Martin. Scandalous.

MPs (first) home addresses are normally completely in the public domain (they appear on scores of thousands of ballot papers apart from anything else). So why not second home addresses? Why is there a security problem with second home addresses but not first home addresses? Well done to the High Court for knocking back this nonsense.

The House of Commons has lost its High Court battle over an information watchdog's decision to force disclosure of MPs' expenses.

The Commons challenged the Information Tribunal's "unlawfully intrusive" demand that a detailed breakdown of MPs' additional costs allowances (ACA) must be provided under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Commons also attempted to overturn the Tribunal's decision that MPs' addresses should be disclosed, arguing they should be kept secret for special security reasons.

But Sir Igor Judge (President of the Queen's Bench Division), Lord Justice Latham and Mr Justice Blake ruled at London's High Court that they could not interfere with the Tribunal's decision and dismissed the challenge.

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