WORCESTERSHIRE'S MPs have defended controversial legislation to exempt them from anti-secrecy laws.

The Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill was railroaded through the House of Commons with the backing of 96 votes, including Labour's Worcester MP Mike Foster.

West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer and Mid-Worcestershire MP Peter Luff, both Conservatives, were not present in Parliament to vote on Friday, but Mr Luff told the Worcester News he would have voted in favour of the Bill that critics have suggested will allow MPs to withhold embarrassing information about their allowances and expenses. However, Mr Luff said MPs would continue to publish such information because there would be public outrage if they did not.

"We publish them already and we will carry on publishing them," he said. "We cannot go back on that - we have to live in the real world."

Mr Foster agreed. "The speaker has made a ruling that our expenses have been published every October and will continue to be published every October," he said.

Both Mr Luff and Mr Foster said the Bill is about protecting the privacy of their constituents, although there are laws already in place that deal with such concerns.

Mr Foster said: "Some people argue the Data Protection Act covers this. However, the fact that cases have been bought to light where information has been made public shows it's not working.

"It's not about having our constituents letters and problems made public. The Freedom of Information Act is about holding Government to account, not being able to find out what Mrs Bloggs wrote about me."

Mr Luff said stricter rulings on what information is allowed to be made public is needed.

"If we don't protect our constituents it will make me less effective as an MP because I will be worrying about the correspondence I have with my constituents and whether that will get revealed," he said.

"I'm not saying it's a perfect Bill. The Government has behaved less openly than I would have liked. If we'd had a proper debate then perhaps we would have had more understanding and a better Bill."

Introduced by former Tory chief whip David Maclean, the Bill now passes to the House of Lords for consideration where many have already pledged to do their best to wreck the legislation.

It is expected to be discussed as early as Friday, June 8, but might not receive Parliamentary time until as late as Friday, July 20.

West Worcestershire MP Sir Michael Spicer was unavailable for comment.

See Today's Opinion