 In 1978 the government established the "Committee on Official Information" (also known as the "Danks Committee" after its chair) for the purpose of "considering the extent to which official information can be made readily available to the public".As part of this, the committee was to review the application of the Official Secrets Act 1951 and "advance appropriate recommendations on changes in policies and procedures which would contribute to the aim of freedom of information".In 1980 it reported back, recommending the replacement of the Official Secrets Act with a new Official Information Act, based on a principle of openness.