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43. Requests for documents which go beyond a description of the existing organisation of a Department and deal with methods of operation (eg arrangements for formal and informal co-ordination or for delegation of authority) or with reviews of existing departmental organisation or methods may raise more difficult questions, since these will frequently be internal working papers. Ministers should be consulted about any requests for information of this kind, with the presumption that information on these matters should be provided, in an appropriate form, unless it would conflict with the guidance in paragraph 30 above. Except where particular arrangements have been made public, information about interdepartmental organisation may present more difficulty (see paragraphs 31-32).
Documents of a Previous Administration
44. There are well-established conventions which govern the withholding of policy papers of a previous Administration from an Administration of a different political complexion. Since officials appear before Select Committees as representatives of their Ministers and since Select Committees are themselves composed on a bipartisan basis, it follows that officials should not provide a Select Committee with papers of a previous Administration which they are not in a position to show to present Ministers. If such papers are sought, Ministers should be consulted about the request. The general rule is that documents of a former Administration which have not been released or published during the period of that Adminstration should not be released or published by a subsequent Government. Ministers propose to make an exception, it would be necessary to consult a representative of the previous Administration before showing the papers either to present Ministers or, with Ministers' agreement, releasing them to a Select Committee.
TREATMENT OF EVIDENCE
Open Sessions
45.
Unclassified memoranda prepared by Departments for a Committee may be published by the Committee before its full report is presented to the House, and may be available to the Press and public at the time of the related session. Open sessions of Committees often attract publicity since evidence before them may be reported forthwith by the Press. Departments are in these circumstances free to comment immediately to the
If a Select Committee Press on matters raised in their evidence. takes evidence in public from a Minister or senior official, therefore, it may be considered desirable for a Press Officer also to attend, so as to be able to answer Press queries. Such Press briefing should not, however, extend to comment on matters of policy since such comment might be regarded as impeding the Committee in its task and hence as contempt. Care should be
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