Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has called for the Freedom of Information Act to be protected amid fears it could be fatally weakened by the UK Government.
The Assembly Member from the Rhondda said the law had become a valuable tool for shining a light on public bodies throughout the UK and uncovering information that would otherwise be hidden from public view.
Ms Wood has formally submitted a response to the consultation to ‘Independent Commission on Freedom of Information’ which formally closes this Friday (20.11.15).
In her response, she said while it may be in the “interests of some politicians to shut down avenues for scrutiny and hide away information, it was not in the interests of a healthy democracy and a political system people can have faith in to do so.”
Ms Wood’s office has used the legislation to shed light on extortionate pay settlements within the Wales Audit Office and other public bodies, uncovering the number of ex-miners who had died waiting for compensation to be paid by the UK Government and the lack of prosecutions for non-payment of the minimum wage.
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