Editorial: Government must address 'scandalous' secrecy over sea border advisory group

​The secrecy around the identity of members of a panel set up to advise the government on aspects of how the Irish Sea border is implemented sets a dangerous precedent.

​Today’s News Letter reports that the names of some members of a horticultural working group – set up under the Safeguarding the Union deal – will not be made public.

That’s despite a request to a Labour minister from the DUP parliamentarian Lord Dodds for transparency on the issue. He has rightly branded the situation “scandalous”.

The argument from the government for not releasing the names is that they are protecting their identities – but there is no rational reason provided for taking that approach.

It is not the first time people involved in public life have sought to keep their identities private. Perhaps the most outrageous example was when councillors on Ards and North Down council – who had been involved in a ‘call-in’ motion over the flying of the Union Flag – objected to their names being released under a Freedom of Information request.

The council accepted that position, and duly declined to make their names public. That decision is rightly being challenged, but for a national government to allow such a scenario to arise is even more absurd.

Anyone contributing to the advisory group is undoubtedly doing it with the best of intentions – to iron out problems with the Irish Sea border. There is no question in this about their motivation.

However, they should have been aware that taking up any role which helps shape public policy – particularly on such a sensitive issues – would require transparency.

Unionist trust in the government over the trade frontier is almost rock bottom. Decisions like this – whatever the reasoning behind it – will only add to their concerns.