6. Will the First Minister make a statement on ensuring Ministers' diaries are available for the public to scrutinise? OAQ(5)0235(FM)

We are currently undertaking a review to ascertain the best method of publishing details of ministerial meetings and diaries.

I was wondering whether the First Minister would accept a tip off me—basically, go into Outlook and press print. Is the First Minister aware of the quite dreadful—dreadful—impression that his Government Ministers are giving the public of Wales, that they feel that they don’t have to declare who they’re meeting with and for what purpose? It’s completely unacceptable that a freedom of information request has been put and has been refused. Will you ensure that the diaries are published?

Well, if he’s talking about his freedom of information request—and he’s nodding at that—he put in a request for every single meeting over the past five years. He should not be surprised, then, that he did not get a response for that. But if he makes a more defined request, of course these meetings can be released—they’re not secret per se. Nevertheless, I can say to him that we are looking at how we can retrospectively release details of meetings—it is happening to an extent in Westminster, it’s happening to an extent in Scotland, and I’m keen that we keep up with best practice. There’s no question of publishing ministerial engagements in the future, but I see no reason why we cannot do this for engagements that have happened in the past, and we will seek to find a way of doing that.

First Minister, can I welcome the review? I think it is important that you look at other jurisdictions, because we should attempt to follow best practice. If that changes current methods, I think that just shows you that the Government is doing the right thing and not acknowledging that past practice was in any way deficient. Standards do change, technology changes, what’s possible changes, and I think we want to be the best and not lagging.

No, I agree with that and, as I say, the review is currently being undertaken to see how best that information can be released so that it’s clear who Ministers are meeting. That’s something I’m keen to progress with as soon as possible.