The government has backed away from changes to Freedom of Information legislation after a review set up to see how the law was working.

The review was considering the issue of charging requesters but that has now been ruled out and no other legislative changes are being proposed..

Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock said the FoI Act was "working well".

The FoI Commission - which included Lord Howard of Lympne - was asked to examine it amid concerns within government that "sensitive information" was being inadequately protected. It also considered if there was too much of a burden on public bodies dealing with requests.

The commission said FoI had helped "change the culture of the public sector".

Mr Hancock said there would be no wholesale changes to the FoI Act.

"After 10 years, we took the decision to review the Freedom of Information Act and we have found it is working well," he said.

We believe that transparency can help save taxpayers’ money, by driving out waste and inefficiency - minister Matthew Hancock

On the issue of the burden of dealing with requests, he said:

“We appreciate that some public authorities are concerned by the burdens imposed on them by the Act and the associated costs. However, the introduction of new fees would lead to a reduction in the ability of requesters, especially the media, to make use of the Act. We believe that transparency can help save taxpayers’ money, by driving out waste and inefficiency.”

"We will not make any legal changes to FoI. We will spread transparency throughout public services, making sure all public bodies routinely publish details of senior pay and perks. After all, taxpayers should know if their money is funding a company car or a big pay-off."

The government will consider ways in which to require public bodies to publish more information.

The KM Group was among many media organisations who expressed concern over the review and had campaigned for there to be no changes.

During the consultation, it emerged that Thanet council had suggested requesters be charged £25 to access information, saying it would deter “futile” requests.

On the power of ministers to veto the release of information, the government said it would not, at this stage, tighten the law.

Analysis by Paul Francis, political editor

The government always knew that changes to Freedom of Information rights would prove controversial but was probably not expecting quite the tsunami of complaints and concerns its review triggered.

True, much of the criticism came from the media and that was always likely to focus ministers' attention.

But it has accepted the broader point that public bodies must be accountable for - and answerable to - the people they represent, whether they are councils, hospitals or government departments.

And it has also accepted that charges for information would be a regressive step.

Public bodies have routinely complained that dealing with FOI requests costs money they can ill afford.

There is a very simple answer to that and it is to for them to be much more pro-active in disclosing information - in a way which makes clear exactly what they are doing in our name and with our money.

To its credit, the government has acknowledged this and will take steps to force the disclosure of much more information.