Public authorities to start compiling documents for public disclosure
Government has started introducing initial clauses of the much awaited Freedom of Information Act.
Earlier this week, it set into motion the first steps for every relevant public authority to furnish the Information Commission with a description of all manuals and similar documents containing “policies, principles, rules or guidelines in accordance with which decisions or recommendations are made in respect of members of the public” within one year.
By 2010, the Commissioner – who is also the Data Protection Commissioner – will also have a statement of the information that needs to be available to members of the public who wish to obtain access to official documents from the public authority.
This information will be published on an internet website to be publicly accessible.
If it appears to the Commissioner that the practice of a public authority in relation to these functions does not conform with that proposed in the code of practice, he may give to the authority a recommendation specifying the steps which ought in his opinion to be taken for promoting such conformity.
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