Sky News recently reported that the government has taken out ‘hundreds of gagging orders’ (NDAs) with companies involved in Brexit preparations. [1]
This morning, the London Assembly heard evidence about those agreements from the Chair of the London Resilience Forum and the Head of London Resilience who ensure London’s preparedness in the event of emergencies.
The Assembly were told that London Resilience Forum staff have had to sign NDAs and that in some instances the orders are ‘overly bureaucratic’, ‘unreasonable’ and standing in the way of their duty to ‘warn and inform’ about issues posed by Brexit.
In response, Len Duvall AM, Chair of the EU Exit Working Group said:
“There are times when there needs to be confidentiality surrounding government business. Everyone would accept that. However, the blanket use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
is causing problems with resilience issues relating to Brexit.
“It’s clear we need a common-sense approach. No one wants to get this wrong – but there are too many organisations saying they can’t work in a situation where sharing appropriate information is restricted.
“The government really needs to think about how they’re using these ‘gagging orders’ and ensure that the people whose job it is to plan for the future of Londoners, are not left out of the loop.”
Notes to editors
- Sky News reported this issue on March 21st.
- Watch the webcast of the meeting here
- Len Duvall AM, Chair of the EU Exit Working Group is available for interview – see contact details below.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Alison Bell on 020 7983 4228. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit on 020 7983 4100.