Posts Tagged ‘commissioners/ombudsmen’
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12 March 2012
Reports Critically Assess RTI Performance in Indonesia
Two years after implementation of the Indonesian right to information law, several new reports look closely at how exemptions in the law are being handled and how three agencies are implementing the law. Government officials are still taking the same approach to disclosure as they did before the law, according to one report (English) (Indonesian), […]
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2 March 2012
Three New Commissioners Appointed to CIC in India
Three new information commissioners were sworn in on Feb. 28 in New Delhi. Former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Mathur is one of the new commissioners. Also added were the former environment secretary Vijai Sharma, recently working as an expert member at the National Green Tribunal and retired Syndicate Bank chairman and managing director Basant […]
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17 February 2012
Indian CIC Orders Agency to Post More on Website
The Indian Central Information Commission has told the Ministry of Environment & Forests to put more information on its website. The Jan. 18 decision by Commissioner Sailesh Gandhi resulted from a complaint brought by Shibani Ghosh of The Access Initiative India Coalition (TAI India) arguing that certain categories of information should be available on the […]
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3 February 2012
Agnew Approved as New Scottish Commissioner
The Scottish Parliament Feb. 1 has approved Rosemary Agnew as the next Scottish Information Commissioner. If approved by the Queen, a final formality, she will assume the job in April for a six-year term. Agnew succeeds Kevin Dunion, who retires later this month. Agnew has been the Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, which […]
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20 December 2011
What’s Ailing RTI? Resource Issues Plague Indian Law
By Shonali Ghosal Ghosal is a correspondent with Tehelka magazine, based in New Delhi, which published this article in its Dec. 24 edition. Following is an interview with Shailesh Gandhi, a Central Information Commissioner. (Reprinted with permission.) The mere suggestion of any amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, sends civil society into […]
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16 December 2011
UK Says FOIA Covers Official Information in Private Emails
The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office Dec. 15 issued guidance “making it clear that information concerning official business held in private email accounts is subject to the Freedom of Information Act.” Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: It should not come as a surprise to public authorities to have the clarification that information held in private […]
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28 October 2011
Alianza Regional Presents FOIA Report to Commission
The Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information Oct. 24 in Washington urged the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to pay more attention to access to information. A delegation representing the 24 organizations of 18 different countries requested that access to information be added as a relevant theme access on the country visits done by the IACHR […]
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21 October 2011
FOI Notes: Open Data, Latin America, ICIC, Morocco, US
Open Data: Material from the Warsaw open government data conference. An evaluation of the state of open data movement by blogger David Eaves. Latin America: A delegation representing the Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información will present a report Oct. 24 in Washington at a hearing about access to public information before the […]
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13 October 2011
Irish Commissioner Applies EU Rule to Nationalized Bank
The Irish Commissioner of Environmental Information has ruled that the nationalized Anglo Irish Bank must respond to requests for information relating to the environment. The bank, nationalized in 2009, meets the criteria for a “public authority,” under the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations (2007), according to a decision by Commissioner Emily […]
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6 October 2011
Views on Open Data Contrast During ICIC Sessions
The sometimes discordant relationship between traditional advocates of freedom of information and the champions of open data was on display during several sessions Oct. 5 at the 7th International Conference of Information Commissioners in Ottawa, Canada. One Canadian open data advocate called reforming FOI laws a low priority. FOI traditionalists, while supported the release of […]
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5 October 2011
Info Commissioners Approve Resolution on Transparency
Information commissioners from around the world Oct. 5 approved a resolution supporting expansion of right to information laws and supportive of the Open Government Declaration issued Sept. 20 in connection with launch of the Open Government Partnership. The commissioners, however, dropped a proposed line urging countries to join the Open Government Partnership. The explicit endorsement […]
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4 October 2011
Info Commissioners Consider Resolution on Transparency
Information commissioners from around the world gathered in Ottawa, Canada, are considering adoption of a resolution supporting expansion of right to information laws. The resolution also urges countries to join the Open Government Partnership. The five-paragraph resolution was proposed by the German, Berlin and Slovenian commissioners. It is open for signature by the several dozen […]
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8 July 2011
Indian CIC Criticizes Exemption for CBI
The Indian Central Information Commission has crossed swords with the government over its exemption of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Right to Information Act as the matter heads toward a likely conclusion in the courts. The Cabinet action is “without sanction of the law” and “not in consonance with the letter or […]
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18 May 2011
Court Records Covered by RTI, Indian CIC Decides
The Indian Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that the Right to Information Act takes precedence over the internal rules of the Supreme Court. The court rules required a showing of “good cause.” The First Appellate Authority (FFA) held that any information on judicial records could be accessed only under the Supreme Court rules. In […]
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6 May 2011
Irish Commissioner Suggests Expansion of FOI Law
Irish Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly May 3 issued her Annual Report for 2010, recommending that the scope of the law be expanded to cover more public bodies, including the administrative side of An Garda Síochána [the Irish government police force] and the biggest state-controlled financial institutions. She also objected to recent cutbacks on the coverage […]
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29 April 2011
Changes in Hungary Seen Undercutting FOI Rights
Hungary has replaced the independent Data Protection and Freedom of Information Commissioner with an administrative authority, seriously weakening the right to access information, according to Human rights and media freedom groups. The changes result the new Hungarian constitution, recently signed by Hungary’s president Pál Schmitt. “There is still a lack of clarity about the proposed […]
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22 April 2011
Cayman Commissioner Makes Suggestions for FOI Law
The Cayman Island information commissioner has made recommendations to revise the 2007 freedom of information law for a Legislative Assembly subcommittee tasked with conducting a review. The most recent submission by commissioner Jennifer Dilbert concerns fees and requests submitted using a pseudonym, according to press release from her office. Last September, she made recommendations on […]
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8 April 2011
India CIC Sets Targets for Handling Appeals
The Indian Central Information Commission has taken a step to fight a backlog of cases and has decided that commissioners should disclose their assets. The six commissioners are being asked to dispose of around 3,200 appeals and complaints every year, an increase from the 2010 average of 2,741, according to articles in The Times of […]
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4 April 2011
New Advisory Body Formed on South Asia RTI Issues
A new 16-person body, the South Asia Advisers on the Right to Information, was formed during a two-day long convention in Kathmundu, Nepal, from March 27- 29. Made up of chief information officers, RTI activists and others, the group will discuss “transparency law, norms for information commissions, and capacity building among government officials, media and […]
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11 March 2011
Canadian Info Commissioner Issues Report Card
There were “limited gains” in the transparency of Canada’s federal institutions, according to a “report card” issued March 10 by the Information Commissioner of Canada, Suzanne Legault. The headlines about the report emphasized the poor ratings given the Canada Post Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation “for dragging their feet on answering information requests from […]