Government accused of cover up

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Officials at the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) have been told they should dispose of gateway review reports - internal assessments of major schemes.

The move was condemned by the Tories, who accused the Government of trying to hide details of "badly mismanaged" computer projects.

The guidance, seen by Computer Weekly Online, comes as the OGC is involved in a legal battle to prevent the release of gateway review reports of the controversial £5.3 billion ID card scheme.

The Information Tribunal last month upheld a decision that the documents should be disclosed after a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request, but the OGC is appealing against the decision at the High Court.

The OGC paper tells gateway review teams: "You must securely dispose of the (final gateway) report and all supporting documents immediately after delivery of the final report."

Major Government projects are subject to gateway reviews carried out by independent specialists to monitor their progress and likely success.

The OGC is an independent office of the Treasury and the Tories attacked Chancellor Gordon Brown's "secretive" department.

Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Oliver Heald said: "This demonstrates that Gordon Brown's recent promise to 'involve and engage people' more in politics is just more spin. The reality is that Gordon Brown's Treasury is probably the most secretive Government department, frequently dodging questions in Parliament and now issuing orders to undermine the spirit of FOI.

"It is hardly surprising that the Treasury wants to hide from the public the details of their badly mishandled computer projects and it seems that Gordon Brown's tendency towards obsessive secrecy and shutting out the public will continue with him as Prime Minister non-elect just as it did when he was Chancellor."