Ministers have not given any justification for making an £800m new research agency exempt from Freedom of Information laws.
And the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which is responsible for maintaining transparency by government agencies, said they do not believe the exemption is justified.
Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has been urged to reverse course on plans to allow new agency Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), the brainchild of Dominic Cummings, to keep its work secret from the public.
Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, today wrote to Mr Kwarteng, urging him to explain the decision.
It comes after Unlock Democracy asked the ICO "whether ... the Government has provided any justification for this proposed exemption."
The ICO replied that it held "no information."
But they replied: "We do not believe FOI and EIR legislation to be an obstacle to innovation and research because they already embed safeguards which allow a balance to be struck between the public interest in transparency and the protection of legitimate interests, where this is needed."
They added: "Access to information is an essential component of a democratic society and our Outsourcing Oversight report clearly showed the risks to transparency and accountability when public information is removed from the scrutiny offered by access to information law."
The Campaign for Freedom of Information last week joined calls for Aria to face public scrutiny.
In a statement, the organisation said: "With a budget of £800 million, ARIA will be vastly better resourced to answer FOI requests than thousands of small bodies which already comply with the Act, including parish councils, town councils, nursery schools, primary schools, GPs, dentists, opticians and pharmacists police and crime commissioners, internal drainage boards, local healthwatch bodies and many others."
Speaking in Parliament last month, Mr Cummings said the initial £800m cost to set up the agency was "fine to begin with".
But he said its budget should get to £3bn to £5bn within ten years.
The body will be based on the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is subject to the United States' Freedom of Information laws.
Announcing funding for the agency in February, Mr Kwarteng said: "From the steam engine to the latest artificial intelligence technologies, the UK is steeped in scientific discovery. Today’s set of challenges – whether disease outbreaks or climate change – need bold, ambitious and innovative solutions.
"Led independently by our most exceptional scientists, this new agency will focus on identifying and funding the most cutting-edge research and technology at speed.
"By stripping back unnecessary red tape and putting power in the hands of our innovators, the agency will be given the freedom to drive forward the technologies of tomorrow, as we continue to build back better through innovation."
