Private bodies performing public functions comply poorly with national access to information laws compared to public bodies, according to a survey of information commissioners.
The finding comes in a report prepared by the Centre for Freedom of Information, based at the University of Dundee in Scotland, and for information commissioners and presented Sept. 20 at the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners meeting in Berlin. About 50 commissioners were surveyed in July and August. About half were from subnational bodies.
More than half of the commissioners reported that their laws apply wholly or in part to companies, charitable trust and other non-public bodies that provide public services.
Most commissioners (63 percent) said such entities perform poorly compared with public bodies.
Fees Opposed
On a second topic, most commissioners said they are opposed to charging fees for making requests, according to the survey. Such charges inhibit requests, unfairly affect those with lower incomes, require processing effort, and contribute little to overall costs, the fee opponents said. Those who favored fees mainly said that the cost makes requesters think twice about whether they need the information.
The report provides information on where initial fees are charged to make requests – Australi ($5), Ireland ($20) and Australia ($30).
Commissioner participation in the international Open Government Partnership effort was the third topic of the survey. Only about one-third of the respondents reported “significant involvement,” but about four out of five thought commissioners should be more involved.
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