Commenter Ian Parker points out that David McLean’s Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill has sailed through the Second Reading stage in the House of Commons without objection from MPs.

This means that the bill now moves to the committee stage, where private bills tend to meet their first serious opposition. Bills are scrutinised by a Public Bill Committees (which used to be known as Standing Committees) before being returned to the floor of the House of Commons for the report stage.

If it survives these hurdles — not to mention the House of Lords — the private member’s bill would add the first new restrictions to the Freedom of Information Act since it came into force in 2005.

The new law would remove both Houses of Parliament from the list of public authorities required to respond to FOI requests and would keep secret all correspondence between members of Parliament and public bodies still subject to requests.