content of collective worship, except that in controlled (State) schools in CCPR/C/58/Add.6 page 57 Northern Ireland the collective worship required must not be distinctive of any particular denomination. Reforms to be introduced in Northern Ireland later in the year will empower the Northern Ireland Education Department to specify a core syllabus for religious education. Article 19 252. Since the second periodic report, there has been an increase in the amount of information for which access is provided in law, and an increase in the amount of official information made available. The Data Protection Act 1984, which was mentioned in paragraphs 238-240 above, gives individuals right of access to information held about them on computers; the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 gives right of access to local authority meetings and to certain documents and records, and regulations under the Access to Personal Files Act 1987, which came into force on 1 April 1989, give individuals a right of access to manual records with information about themselves held by local authorities for the purposes of housing and social services. 253. Over the last 10 years, much more government information has been made available; there is more briefing of news media, an increase in published research papers and evaluation of the effect of policies, and more openness in the processes of government. There has also been a substantial increase in public consultation. 254. The Government is opposed to a general statutory right of access to information on the internal workings of government and considers that such a right would be inappropriate, because ministerial accountability to Parliament would be undermined by appeals on release of information to the courts or some form of information commissioner, and unnecessary, because a wide range of information is already available, particularly through the mechanism provided 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the government's policies and practices related to education, information access, and religious practices in Northern Ireland. The language used is formal and official, suggesting that the text is from a government report or statement. The content focuses on the education system, religious practices, and access to information, which are all related to the field of education.

**Category**
Education