UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The former Conservative government spent more than £50,000 on lawyers to prevent transparency following the death of a disabled man.
Over £50,000 was allocated from public funds to prevent the release of a safeguarding report linked to the tragic death of a disabled man in his home.
The money spent on legal fees was part of a £1 million bill by the previous government to stop the publication of some documents under the Freedom of Information rules.
As reported by The Guardian, the Home Office used £30,000 to prevent the Guardian from revealing information about the public cost of royal family protection.
The statistics were made public after the Democracy for Sale newsletter requested information about the last government’s spending to prevent the release of information.
A portion of the exposed spending involved a Child Poverty Action Group campaigner seeking the findings of a DWP review into its safety measures.
Reports about Errol Graham’s death in 2018, were caused by starvation after the DWP stopped his benefits, leaving him with no money.
In 2022, the information commissioner directed the DWP to disclose the review findings publicly after two years of secrecy.
At the time of his death, Graham, 57, had a weight of only four and a half stone. Bailiffs found his body during an eviction, eight months after his payments were discontinued.
The DWP’s appeal was rejected despite spending £35,600 on legal representation and £15,400 on a barrister, with the details ultimately provided to Owen Stevens, a consultant at the Child Poverty Action Group.
A spokesperson from the DWP stated that the department follows Fol’s guidance, but admitted, “Occasionally we exercise our right to challenge decisions from the Information Commissioner’s Office, which can incur legal costs.”
He added, “These are justified to ensure we are protecting and handling information lawfully in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.”
The last government of Tory spent £937,000 in 2023 on 56 legal cases to keep information hidden from the public.
The courts rejected many efforts to hide information, ruling that the public had the right to view the documents.
Judges decided this year that the public wouldn’t be able to see how much protecting the royal family costs, blocking calls for more secrecy.
After hearing private evidence and a legal challenge from the Home Office, judges stated that the cost of protecting the royal family, which is estimated to be in the tens of millions annually, would be kept private.
Meanwhile, the DWP and Ministry of Defence used £120,000 and £105,000 of public tax money to prevent transparency.
The real spending of the government is likely much higher than £937,000, as several departments either refused to respond to the request or claimed they had no relevant information to share.
Phil Brickell, Labour MP told Democracy for Sale, “Given the intense pressure on public finances, it’s paramount that the Government ensures value for money. The previous administration wasted taxpayers’ money fighting losing battles against FOI requests.”
On January 1, 2005, the Freedom of Information Act became law, giving everyone the power to ask for information from government agencies.
Tony Blair, former prime minister, when the FOI Act was implemented, later described himself as a “naive, foolish, irresponsible idiot” for pushing the law.