The Medicines Control Agency has been criticised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman (Mr Michael Buckley) for its failure to comply with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, and in particular for the length of time it took to respond to requests for information.
In his report issued on December 9, Mr Buckley said: "I remain concerned that, when they receive requests dealing with what are seen as sensitive or controversial areas of policy or practice, departments too often raise the drawbridge instinctively."
The MCA was singled out to illustrate the Ombudsman's concern about the time taken by Government departments and agencies to deal with requests. In one case where information was requested about the contrast medium agent Myodil, the MCA had taken four months to acknowledge the request and a further five months to review its initial decision not to provide any information. The MCA had initially said that much of the information had come from the company which marketed the product, and that the company had not agreed to its release. After the Ombudsman's intervention, it had admitted that it had been unable to find the papers containing much of the information requested.
A second case involving a request for information on the proceedings of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and declarations of interest by its members took 16 months to come to a conclusion. Again, the Ombudsman had ruled that much of the information initially withheld by the MCA could be released.
Parliamentary Ombudsman. Access to official information (investigations completed April-October, 1999). The Stationery Office, London (ISBN 0105566144), price £13.