Office of Government Commerce Gateway Reviews are meant to be an independent check on various expensive and disasterous Government projects, especially those to do with public/private finance e.g. building hospitals or renewing transport infrastructure.
There have been notable Government IT procurement disasters, which in theory should not happen if the project goes through a so called Gatway Review process.
We are thinking about asking the Office of Government Commerce, on the one hand, and the Home Office, on the other, to publish the two pre-stage Zero, the Stage Zero, and the Stage One Gateway Reviews of the Identity Cards and National Identity Register project.
However, the Government has been loath to publish any Gateway Reviews, even, astonishingly, to the Public Accounts Select Committee of the House of Commons.
Perhaps, under the new law, as opposed to the old, voluntary Publication Scheme, there might be some hope of getting some details, such as project assumptions and architectures, if not, perhaps, financially sensitive commercial contract payment terms.
Freedom of Information Act & how it applies to Gateway states:
"Guidance on disclosure of Gateway specific information
There is no “blanket” exemption for Gateway information. Each Gateway FOI request must be looked at on a case-by-case basis to see whether any of the exemptions listed in the Act are appropriate. If they are, the public interest test must then be considered. The main exemptions that are likely to apply to Gateway information are:
S43 – Commercial Interest;
S33 – Audit
S36 – (prejudice to effective conduct of public affairs) this refers to information which if disclosed would inhibit full and frank discussion. If this exemption is used it has to be referred to the relevant minister each time.
The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) are currently drafting guidance, in consultation with OGC, and will include it with the portfolio of guidance on their website.
If , from January 4th, you receive a request for Gateway information you should refer to your FOI practitioner who will have been provided with advice, from DCA, about how to handle it."
It seems strange that there is no policy guidance in place, they have had years to prepare for 1st January 2005.
