A Green Party MP is seeking to bring the King and Royal Household under Freedom of Information laws in a move aimed at increasing transparency around the monarchy’s use of public resources.
Sian Berry is preparing to introduce a Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill that would remove longstanding exemptions shielding the royal household from public scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The proposed legislation would extend the Act’s coverage to the Royal Household, the Royal Archive and the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, allowing the public greater access to information about the monarchy’s official activities and management of public assets.
Speaking to the Press Association, Ms Berry described the current arrangements as an outrageous ‘carve-out’ from transparency laws.
‘It unnecessarily shields what should be a perfectly normally accountable part of our constitution and it has to go”‘ she said.
Under existing legislation, the Sovereign and Royal Household are not classified as public authorities, meaning they are not subject to Freedom of Information requests. Public bodies can also refuse to disclose communications with the monarch and members of the Royal Household.
Ms Berry said her proposal is focused on improving accountability for the royal family’s public role rather than intruding into private matters.
‘We’re talking about things that are part of the job, not part of their own private lives,’ she said.
The bill would also bring the Royal Archive within the scope of the legislation. The archive, housed in Windsor Castle’s Round Tower, contains more than 250 years of historical documents relating to the monarchy.
The move comes amid growing pressure on the Government to release information relating to the Royal Family that would not normally be disclosed under current laws. Earlier this year, MPs voted to seek the publication of documents concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a special representative for trade and investment in 2001.
Ms Berry argued that greater access to royal documents and data would represent ‘a huge step for transparency in what has been a shadowy institution for far too long’.
The bill would need to be formally introduced in Parliament and secure the backing of both MPs and peers before any amendments to the Freedom of Information Act could take effect.
If successful, the legislation would mark one of the most significant changes to public access rights concerning the monarchy since the Freedom of Information Act came into force more than two decades ago.
Photo: Tomasz Zielonka
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