Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill — Exempt only correspondence — rejected — 20 Apr 2007 at 12:45

The majority of MPs voted against changing the proposed Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill (designed to remove Parliament and MPs from the power of the Freedom of Information Act 2000) so that the Freedom of Information Act would still apply to Parliament.

All that would have remained was the exemption regarding MPs' correspondence. Since this was the official justification for the proposed change in the law (the threat that Freedom of Information laws could be used to obtain sensitive correspondence),[1] this vote tested whether a law leaving in that provision would be acceptable to its proponents.

(It wasn't, because the real purpose was to hide MPs' expenses.)

This vote was a follow-on from Division 94

Since there was not enough MPs around to close the debate (it requires at least 100 MPs to vote for it)[2] the MPs opposed, even though they were in the minority, were able to carry on talking (without repeating themselves)[3] until the time for the debate ran out.

Friday afternoons (the time for debates on private members bills) have a low attendance. Initially the debate for this Bill was rescheduled for the following week (27 April 2007), but was pulled from the timetable at the last minute in order to prevent a repetition of the filibuster.[4]

Accordingly, it was rescheduled for 18 May when a large enough turn-out of MPs could be arranged in order to close the debate.[5]

The first division on that debate is Division 119.

Debate in Parliament | Source |

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All Votes Cast - sorted by party

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party are marked in red. Also shows which MPs were ministers at the time of this vote. You can also see every eligible MP including those who did not vote in this division.

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Richard ShepherdAldridge-BrownhillsCon (front bench)aye
Henry BellinghamNorth West NorfolkCon (front bench)no
David EvennettBexleyheath and CrayfordCon (front bench)no
Michael FabricantLichfieldCon (front bench)no
Gerald HowarthAldershotCon (front bench)no
Greg KnightEast YorkshireCon (front bench)tellno
David MacleanPenrith and The BorderCon (front bench)no
Patrick McLoughlinWest DerbyshireCon (front bench)no
Bob NeillBromley and ChislehurstConno
Brooks NewmarkBraintreeCon (front bench)no
Richard OttawayCroydon SouthCon (front bench)no
Andrew PellingCroydon Centralwhilst Con (front bench)no
John RandallUxbridgeCon (front bench)no
Lyn BrownWest HamLab (minister)aye
Mary CreaghWakefieldLab (minister)aye
Martin LintonBatterseaLab (minister)aye
David WinnickWalsall NorthLab (minister)aye
Bob AinsworthCoventry North EastLab (minister)no
Adrian BaileyWest Bromwich WestLab (minister)tellno
Liz BlackmanErewashLab (minister)no
Nick BrownNewcastle upon Tyne East and WallsendLabno
Andy BurnhamLeighLab (minister)no
Ian CawseyBrigg and GooleLab (minister)no
Harry CohenLeyton and WansteadLab (minister)no
Andrew DismoreHendonLab (minister)no
Brian H DonohoeCentral AyrshireLab (minister)no
Jim DowdLewisham WestLab (minister)no
Ian GibsonNorwich NorthLabno
Paul GogginsWythenshawe and Sale EastLab (minister)no
John HealeyWentworthLab (minister)no
John HeppellNottingham EastLab (minister)no
Keith HillStreathamLab (minister)no
Beverley HughesStretford and UrmstonLab (minister)no
Huw Irranca-DaviesOgmoreLab (minister)no
Helen JonesWarrington NorthLab (minister)no
Tessa JowellDulwich and West NorwoodLab (minister)no
Alan KeenFeltham and HestonLab (minister)no
Ann KeenBrentford and IsleworthLab (minister)no
Stephen LadymanSouth ThanetLab (minister)no
Thomas McAvoyRutherglen and Hamilton WestLab (minister)no
Steve McCabeBirmingham, Hall GreenLab (minister)no
Anne McGuireStirlingLab (minister)no
Shona McIsaacCleethorpesLab (minister)no
Tony McNultyHarrow EastLab (minister)no
George MudieLeeds EastLab (minister)no
Meg MunnSheffield, HeeleyLab (minister)no
Ian PearsonDudley SouthLab (minister)no
Steve PoundEaling NorthLab (minister)no
Anne SnelgroveSouth SwindonLab (minister)no
John SpellarWarleyLabno
Gerry SutcliffeBradford SouthLab (minister)no
Gareth ThomasHarrow WestLab (minister)no
Tom WatsonWest Bromwich EastLab (minister)no
Norman BakerLewesLDemaye
David HowarthCambridgeLDem (front bench)tellaye
Simon HughesNorth Southwark and BermondseyLDem (front bench)tellaye

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