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The Government has been accused of blowing £30,000 in a bid to delay the publication of Andrew Lansley’s ministerial diaries under Freedom of Information laws.

Lord Lansley was behind the hated Health and Social Care Act 2012, which opened up the NHS to further privatisation.

Campaigners want to see which lobbyists and private firms he met in the run-up. Their bid was backed by an FoI tribunal in April.

But the Government spent taxpayer cash on two failed legal challenges and has now gone to the Court of Appeal.

It is feared the costs will be used as an excuse to scupper Labour’s FoI law.

READ MORE:Ministers blow £30,000 trying to keep Tory ex-Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's diaries secret

Maurice Frankel, head of the Campaign for FoI, said: “I estimate the costs are close to £30,000.

"(They) talk about the ‘burden of FoI’ – some of the burden is caused by authorities trying to resist disclosure beyond the point at which they should accept the decision.”

Mr Frankel was speaking at a cross-party commission set up by Labour ahead of a proposed Tory clampdown on FoI.

Last week, it heard more than 90% of requests are from the public.

We look at 10 stories that would never have come to light without Freedom of Information.

1. MPs’ Expenses

(Image: Getty)

After a long legal battle the House of Commons was forced to reveal details of MPs’ second homes claims.

A CD containing the unredacted data was leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

2. Black Spider Memos

(Image: Carl Court/Getty Images)

Details of Prince Charles ’s private lobbying of Tony Blair and other Cabinet Ministers were finally published this year following another High Court battle.

3. Ambulance delays

Rafts of data showing how stricken patients are forced to wait more than 15 minutes for an ambulance were revealed through FoI requests to health trusts.

4. The Tory landlords

The Mirror revealed in May how rich Tory MPs and donors are among those raking in millions of pounds in housing benefit.

5. Filthy restaurants

(Image: Gazette Live)

Councils have been forced to publish hygiene inspections of every high street cafe and restaurant following the introduction of FoI laws in 2005.

6. ‘Five-minute care’ scandal

FoI requests revealed more than half a million home care visits to the sick, elderly and vulnerable lasted less than five minutes each.

7. Nuclear leaks

(Image: Reuters)

Inspectors discovered cracks in the reactor cores of nuclear power stations in 2006 – including Hinkley Point B in Somerset – raising serious questions about safety.

8. Racist cops

(Image: Metropolitan Police)

Between 2002 and 2012 more than 100 Met police officers were found guilty of racist ­behaviour.

The figures came in the wake of the convictions of Gary Dobson and David Norris for murdering black teenager Stephen Lawrence .

9. MOT failures

After an 18-month legal battle data was released in 2010 comparing how different makes and models of cars fared in MOT tests.

It showed Renault Meganes had a comparatively bad record of failure and Honda Jazzes a particularly good record of passing.

10. Close encounters

(Image: Nicholas Eveleigh)

From 2006 to 2012 there were 9,000 worth of UFO sightings , incidents, photographs and drawings.

The Government’s UFO files also included RAF investigations and Whitehall policy documents.