Examining the relationship between law, political culture and information control, this work combines a technical knowledge of English law, a detailed account of the history of political secrecy in Britain and an informed acquaintance with the shady detail of political and administrative practice. This new edition examines the effect of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Public Disclosures Act 1998, EU legislative developments on access to information and the Human Rights Act 1998, as well as the legislative and administrative changes introduced by the Labour Government.

1. Introduction: setting the agenda
2. Persistent themes and novel problems
3. Freedom of information - overseas experience
4. Government and information - an historical development
5. Freedom of information in the UK
6. Secrecy, access and the EU
7. Claims and counterclaims
8. Openness as a practice or non-practice
9. Access to personal information
10. Openness, information and the courts
11. Conclusion - how nigh is the end?