Woolf slams government secrecy
25 May 2001
Woolf slams government secrecy
By FWi staff
GOVERNMENT secrecy over issues such as BSE, foot-and-mouth and genetically modified crops creates public anxiety, claims the Lord Chief Justice.
Presenting the Environmental Law Foundation lecture in London on Thursday (24 May) night, Lord Woolf called for greater openness.
Lord Woolf spoke of “a vicious spiral of secrecy leading to suspicion, and sometimes irrational hysteria about the environment”, reports The Daily Telegraph.
In turn, this leads to more secrecy, said Lord Woolf.
He said “openness is a necessity” to dispel hysteria and “ensure that the environmental health of our world is recognised”.
Lord Woolf also said courts may be able to reconsider the merits of a decision in exceptional circumstances.
Challenges could be made if a minister took much account of local campaigning in planning decision, he said.
If a minister relied on discredited scientific advice or gave economic interest priority over public health, this could also give grounds for a challenge.
- The Daily Telegraph, 25 May, 2001
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