Joan MacNaughton

Background

Joan MacNaughton joined the Home Office in 1972. She spent five years in the Prison Service, including a spell as Director of Prison Service Industries and Farms, and has been Chief Executive of an NDPB (the Police Information Technology Organisation) From July 1999 - December 2001 she was Director-General, Policy in the Lord Chancellor's Department, responsible for civil, family and administrative justice.

From January 2002 until December 2005 she was Director-General, Energy in the Department of Trade and Industry.

Government refuses to Disclose meetings between DTI Ministers, Norris and MacNaughton

“The information you requested relating to meetings, during 2005 concerning nuclear power in the UK, between Geoffrey Norris, Tony Blair's special adviser on industry and business, and DTI ministers and/or Joan MacNaughton, including minutes, attendance lists and terms of reference is being withheld as it falls under the exemption in section 35(1)(a), (Formulation of Government Policy), of the Freedom of Information Act. In applying this exemption we have had to balance the public interest in withholding the information against the public interest in disclosing the information”.