To celebrate international Right to Know day, here’s some work in progress. As part of our project we have analysed 4 years of FOI requests to the House of Commons. Here’s what we found. This is very much a work in progress…
Just to note, I coded these in an open way, using the information available from the request log, which can be quite brief. Also, just because it’s requested doesn’t mean it isn’t already available.Certain areas are already published e.g. data on Pests and spending on Christmas events, as you can see here.
Overview
- Most requests are ‘institutional’ as oppose to about members, and most requests are ‘micro-political’ and focused in a ‘narrow’ way. The requests that focus on members are more about ‘groups’ of members than ‘individuals’.
| Total requests | 2305 |
| Institution | 1515 |
| Group | 293 |
| Individual | 157 |
| Speaker/Deputy | 84 |
| N/A (but not clear in some of these cases with section 21 or section 14 used) | 184 |
- Many of the issues raised are inspired by controversy already in the media (such as expenses, bullying).
- Some high profile institutions or people within the Commons also attract attention e.g. the Office of the Speaker attracts considerable numbers of requests, possibly because of the controversial nature of the speaker himself at the time (John Bercow).
- Requests about law-making or policy are less rare than the Lords, though again there is focus on certain specific laws.
- The requests around ‘process’ concern expenses, lobbying and other activities.
- Many requests inspired by, and reinforce, ‘elitist’ style narratives and the idea of the privileged nature of MPs e.g. finance, expenses etc
- Certain series of topics are often getting at something wider:
- Requests about passes are about access/lobbying
- Requests about alcohol about elitism/behaviour (see the one on sales of alcohol before one of the meaningful votes)
- Requests about complaints are about bullying
- Website visits are about inappropriate behaviour
Category 1: Institutional requests
- The largest category is ‘HR’ but this goes from broad cross-institutional data on employment practices to questions around representation (ethnicity or gender of staff or members) to controversy or specific complaints e.g. NDAs, bullying, complaints that reflects back on MPs. This played into the recent row around MPs doing unconscious bias training.
- The ‘process’ of rules or how things function goes from the small and minor (room booking) to major (how to remove the speaker).
- Select committees are confidential but there’s a focused interest on certain witnesses or pieces of evidence, as well as potentially revealing/controversial correspondence.
- On laws and law-making, requests are often specific or historical but can be sensitive e.g. on Royal Assent (see FOI and pocket veto controversy) or wider importance e.g. requests for failed PMBs.
- Costs again cover a very wide area with a focus on catering (this category also rolls in spending, which is often on bars etc).
- Requests for correspondence often seem to be hunting or trawling for controversy or sensitivity e.g. Trump, EU Ref etc. This was especially the case in 2019 with request for correspondence between speaker and clerks over Grieve amendment and amendment to Brexit Agreement (both s.34). Number of sensitive areas including ‘table office and MPs’.
| Category | Number | Examples |
| HR | 141 | Wages, representation, 4 on the bullying hotline 2 on compensation |
| Procedures | 124 | From small scale (e.g. Room booking, guidance for new MPs) to larger issues on PMQs and motions to remove Speaker. |
| Select Committees | 109 | Proceedings, particular evidence or correspondence with groups or bodies |
| Law and legislation | 97 | Often very specific e.g. copies of text of the Act of Union, Folkestone Harbour Act 1992. Some more political, such as delays to laws because of Brexit, failed PMBs or bills being ‘filibustered’-2 on royal assent. |
| Costs | 83 | From WQs to pest control. 7 on restoration, 4 serjeant at arms, 4 uniforms 1 vellum, 1 on answering PQs to MPs, 5 catering and also on specific schemes and events e.g. vote 100 celebrations |
| Correspondence | 78 | Communications with Table office and MPs, Black Rod and Mayor of London, MPs over EU ref result to Pokemon Go. Especially in 2019 with request for correspondence between speaker and clerks over Grieve amendment…and amendment to Brexit Agreement (both s.34). |
| Complainst | 44 | Bullying, catering to anti-Catholicism |
| Spending | 43 | Includes 10 on alcohol consumption |
| Passes | 39 | Revoked, refused and 4 on sponsored by political parties. 9 on passes held by ex/former MPs |
| Petitions/E-petitions | 33 | From numbers/statistics and staff to specific petitions and incidents |
| Catering | 33 | Includes complainst |
| Websites | 33 | Blocked, pornographic but also Brexit? |
| Alcohol | 33 | Spending by MPs, alcohol, cost and alcohol consumed before/after ‘meaningful vote’ |
| FOI | 27 | inc section 36, asking about request and four about section 34 and operation [NB section 34 is House of Commons unique exclusion power for requests that potentially undermine privilege] |
| APPG | 23 | Specific groups, lists and minutes-one on complaints? |
| Contracts | 22 | R and R or IT to stationary |
| Bullying | 17 | 4 bullying, 13 hotline, staff complaints etc |
| Clerks | 13 | |
| PCS | 12 | Requests about investigations by the Standards Commissioner |
Sensitive/protected areas are the focus of some requests, including
- APPGs which are often linked to lobbying but are partially transparent now
- Certain parts of internal correspondence e.g. Table office and MPs, Clerk and Speaker
- Select Committees
- Clerks
- Law-making e.g. royal assent
Category 2: Groups of MPs
- Voting is the biggest category-despite being proactively available on other sites. Though some are ‘political’ and Brexit there are 2 on animal rights, Leveson and others less so.
- The focus on expenses and bills carry an ‘ethical’ angle-and the media run ‘bar bills’ and ‘debts’ stories.
- There are a series of representation questions- four on Scottish’ MPs as a group. There’s also a stream of requests on MPs identity more broadly e.g. nationality and ‘languages’.
- There are some requests on political parties i.e. 2 on parties use ‘short money’ and SNP travel
- A small number encroach very much on private issues e.g. MPs with a disability, schooling of children.
| Category | Number | Notes |
| Voted/voting | 21 | Includes voting on article 50, Brexit deal and a pay rise. One on Conservative leadership contest and one on MPs who ‘voted against wishes of constituents’. |
| Cost | 14 | From taxi use to written questions |
| Expenses | 9 | In EU referendum, SNP MPs and repayment |
| Bills (as in money) | 6 | bills unpaid/oustanding debts |
| Private | 6 | Includes education background of MPs, disability, suicide, on ‘detachment of earning orders for child maintenance against salaries’ and on schools attended by children |
| Groups | 6 | Membership of the ERG, Friends of Israel and Conservative Way Forward |
| Criminal records | 5 | MPs with criminal convictions |
| Family/family members | 5 | Family employed |
| Meetings | 5 | |
| Representation | 4 | 1 on Scottish MPs representing Welsh and English constituencies, 1 on female MPs since 1959, 1 on BAME and female MPs, 1 North East MPs, |
| Nationality/ID | 7 | on nationality Birth place and language spoken |
| Language classes | 4 | |
| Party | 5 | On Labour and SNP short money spending, on business interests of Conservative MPs, SNP expenses, SNP travel |
| Background | 3 | MPs with previous career in legal, emergency services, armed services |
| Misconduct | 3 | ‘breaching Nolan principles or breaking oath’, defend against charges using PP |
| Constituency | 3 | 3 running regular surgeries, rules and procedures |
| Passes | 3 | inc 1 parters 1 spoeses |
| Legislative activity, | 3 | 2 inquiry to HoC library, WQs |
| Viewed Brexit studies statements | 2 | Note: these were the Brexit impact studies-turned out very few viewed them |
| Whips | 2 | Briefings to MPs and whips influencing votes |
| Scottish | 4 | 4 including travel |
Interestingly some of this data is already published such as on MPs taking language courses , former MPs with passes or on so-called ‘short money’ (money for opposition parties).
These then become stories in interesting ways with, for example, stories that taxpayers ‘subsidise MPs’ hobbies’ in 2018 and in 2017. A few weeks ago a ruling by the ICO also dug deeper into ex-MPs passes, finding that they were used over 2,500 times.
Category 3: Individual MPs
- Focused on expenses as the largest issue, despite being available already via IPSA (see this great interactive map).
- Legislative activity encompasses a broad range of actives
- Constituent/constituency requests, despite being protected under FOI, cover a series of focused issues.
| Category | Number | Notes |
| Expenses | 15 | |
| Legislative activity | 11 | Voting (one in general and one voting to leave), if signed EDM, name taken off EDM 2, PMB 1 and withdrawal from SC 1, WQs submitted 3, amendments to govt legislation tabled |
| Interests | 8 | inc financial and 2 x register and 1 golf club membership |
| PCS | 6 | |
| Room bookings | 5 | booking for specific events |
| Complaints | 5 | |
| Constituent | 4 | On correspondence, mail out cost on FOI |
| Vote/voting | 4 | inc on cooper bill |
| Investigation | 3 | |
| Constituency | 2 | On file destruction and details on constituency |
| Travel | 2 | |
| Breach of standards or behaviour | 2 | |
| Investigation | 3 | |
| Names of staff | 3 | |
| Private | 5 | If have a panic room, date of birth, diary inc work log outlook calendar |
Speaker
- Number of FOI requests about the speaker [nb is it because he had been particularly controversial]?
- Largest number over correspondence (both trawling and looking at sensitive issues within Westminster) and was as advice and briefings
- Controversy over bullying-see NDAs and Complaints
| Category | Number | Notes |
| Correspondence | 24 | 8 of which relating to MPs |
| Complaints | 8 | |
| Spending | 7 | |
| Costs | 6 | |
| Travel | 4 | |
| Advice/briefings | 4 | |
| expenses | 3 | |
| NDAs | 2 | |
| Police | 2 | |
| Art | 2 | |
| FOI 34 | 1 | |
| Speaker views and statements on leaving the EU 1 | 1 |
Requests withheld under S34 to protect Parliamentary privilege (certificate signed by the Speaker)
S34 used 107 times (sometimes in conjunction with others).
- Correspondence about amendment to Brexit Agreement
- Correspondence between Speaker & Clerks about ‘Grieve’ amendment
- Legal advice to Speaker on Grieve amendment
- Speaker & Clerk communication about amendments
- Inc investigations and SCs.
opendatastudy 