Posts Tagged ‘commissioners/ombudsmen’
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22 September 2013
Survey of Commissioners Reports Views on 3 Topics
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 […]
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19 September 2013
Commissioners to Discuss New Access Rights Protocol
International information commissioners meeting in Berlin will be discussing whether to support the creation of a new international guarantee on the right to information. The idea was broached by Peter Schaar, the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, at the outset of the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners, Sept. 17-19. […]
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18 September 2013
Breadth of Access Laws Discussed at ICIC Meeting
The potential for access laws to cover corporations, and the rationale for such scope, was discussed Sept. 18 at the conference of information commissioners in Berlin. Speakers debated increasing access about corporate information, among other topic. Maeve McDonagh, of University College Cork, said, “The boundaries between the private and public sectors have been increasingly blurred […]
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18 September 2013
FOI Laws Under Pressure Speakers at ICIC Say
Freedom of information laws are under increasing stress, according to speakers Sept. 18 at the Eighth International Conference of Information Commissioners. The right of access to information “is under greater threat today” than at any time before, said Laura Neuman, from the Carter Center’s Access to Information Initiative. Particularly under discussion in the sessions and […]
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17 September 2013
Canadian Commissioner Wants Access in OGP Plan
Canada’s information commissioner Suzanne LeGault has urged Canadian officials to make modernization of the Access to Information Act a commitment in its next Open Government Partnership action plan. LeGault described the national access system pessimistically in a lengthy interview with Global News. “If this trend continues, then the system is really busting,” she said. Among […]
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16 September 2013
Court Nullifies Appointment of Four AP Commissioners
An Indian High Court Sept. 15 voided the appointment of four information commissioners in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Chief Justice Kalyan Jyothi Sen Gupta and Justice K.C. Bhanu ruled in a case filed by civil society activists K. Padmanabhaiah, Rao, V.B.J. Chelikani and N. Padmanabha Reddy. The petitioners challenged the appointment Feb. 6 […]
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5 September 2013
Indian Court Reverses Qualifications Decision
The Indian Supreme Court Sept. 3 retracted most of its controversial ruling seeking to dictate the qualifications for membership on information commissions. The court had ruled that only retired judges or those having legal training could be appointed as information commissioners at the Central Information Commission and at the state level. Justices A.K. Patnaik and […]
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27 August 2013
New Regulation in Nepal Praised; NIC Lacks Officials
New regulations on right to information in Nepal are being welcomed, but vacancies at the National Information Commission are becoming an issue. The revised regulations make 13 positive accomplishments, according to the advocacy group Freedom Forum, which was part of a task force that recommended the changes. Many of the improvements are to the request-handling […]
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27 August 2013
Indian Parliamentary Panel to Review RTI Amendment
A committee of the Indian Parliament will review proposed amendments to exempt political parties from the Right to Information Act. Getting committee consideration was a key demand of opponents of the bill, which is supported by all the major parties. “I have written to Speaker Lok Sabha (Meira Kumar) to refer the RTI Bill to […]
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16 August 2013
UK ICO Issues Guidance on Requests for Personal Data
The United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on Aug. 8 published new guidance for organizations to help them deal with requests from individuals for their data. Under the Data Protection Act, anyone has the right to find out what information an organization holds about them by making a “subject access request.” This allows individuals to […]
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5 August 2013
First Guyana Information Commissioner Sworn In
Former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Justice Charles Ramson was sworn in July 15 as Commissioner of Information by President Donald Ramotar. The Commissioner of Information post was created by the Access to Information Act of 2011, passed in September 2011. The appointment of the commissioner is another step toward implementation of the law, […]
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31 July 2013
Colonial Mindset Visible in RTI Responses
By Raja Muzaffar Bhat The author is an RTI / Social activist and the founder of J&K RTI movement. Reach him at muzaffar.rti@gmail.com. This article was originally published July 30 in Greater Kashmir. Background From the last nearly eight years I have been drafting applications under Right to Information Act (RTI) to seek information from different […]
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26 July 2013
Liberian Commissioner Orders Release of Asset Disclosures
Liberia’s information commissioner, in his first ruling, has ordered the nation’s Anti-Corruption Commission to release the asset disclosure statement of Cabinet ministers and their deputies. The records were sought by the Center for Media Studies and Peace Building (CEMESP) . Mark Bedo-Wla Freeman in his July 23 decision stated, “The asset declarations are part of efforts […]
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26 July 2013
Court Blocks CIC Hearing About Indian Cricket Board
A court order caused the Indian Central Information Commission to cancel a July 25 hearing on whether the Board of Control for Cricket in India should be declared a public authority subject to the Right to Information Act. The Madras High Court issued the order, according to a report by NDTV and another by ESPN. […]
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26 July 2013
Summer Reading: Will the Public Interest Test Prevail?
By Helen Darbishire Darbishire is Executive Director of Access Info Europe. For FOI Geeks interested in the application of the public interest test who also like a good quick read over the summer, there’s a recent decision that can compete with page-turning novels. There’s no sex, but we do learn about the intimate and very […]
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24 July 2013
Indian RTI Supporters Object to Planned Amendments
A group of eminent citizens has objected to plans by the six major political parties to pass legislation exempting themselves from the Right to Information Act. A joint letter noted that the parties have not gone to court to challenge the June order of the Central Information Commission, but instead are making plans for a […]
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24 July 2013
Indian RTI activist Ends Hunger Strike in Goa
Indian RTI activist Rajan Ghate on July 22 ended his six day hunger strike following assurances from Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar over the appointment of state information commissioners. Ghate started his strike to demand that the state government appoint a Chief Information Commissioner as well as State Information Commissioners, posts unfilled for more than […]
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22 July 2013
RTI Environment in Nepal Shows Positive Signs
By Anurudra Neupane The author is Program Manager at Freedom Forum. The interim constitution of Nepal has recognized Right to Information (RTI) as one of the fundamental rights of people. RTI Act 2007 and Rule 2009 help citizen exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to know. Though the posts of information commissioners are currently vacant, we […]
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19 July 2013
Indonesian FoI Commission Needs Strengthening
By Mohamad Mova Al’Afghani The writer is a member of the Indonesian FoI Network. He has a PhD in law from the University of Dundee, UK. This article originally appeared in the Jakarta Post. The House of Representatives has elected seven members to the National Freedom of Information (FoI) Commission who will serve for the […]
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19 July 2013
Indian Activist on Hunger Strike in State of Goa
An Indian right to information activist, Rajan Ghate, began a hunger strike July 16 to protest the failure to appoint a chief information commissioner and other commissioners in the state of Goa. Ghate received support July 18 from Vivek Velankar, a Maharashtra RTI activist, who visited him at Azad Maidan, according to an article in […]