Posts Tagged ‘rti legislation’
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2 April 2012
Australian Commissioner Proposes New FOI Fees
Australian Information Commissioner John McMillan has proposed a new fee system for the FOI law, including a $50 application fee if a requester does not first try to access the documents through informal means. McMillan says such a charge would apply if a requester doesn’t first attempt to utilize defined “administrative access schemes” at agencies. The […]
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27 March 2012
Spain Proposes FOI Law; NGO Identifies Faults
Spain’s proposed freedom of information law is drawing critical reviews. Spain’s Cabinet on March 23 agreed to propose a freedom of information law and on March 26 proposed a text (in Spanish) for an unusual 15-day consultation period. “It is a law whose main goal is improve the credibility of and trust in our institutions, […]
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19 March 2012
Despite Uncertainty, Sierra Leone FOI Activists Organize
With conflicting signals coming from top government officials, advocates for a freedom of information in Sierra Leone are coalescing to lobby for FOI legislation. The activity comes as a top minister pledged action on a bill, according to a media report by Michael T. Kamara and Mariama Bundu in Awareness Times. But the Speaker of the […]
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16 March 2012
Controversial Witness List Set by South African Committee
After initially having been excluded from the witness list, the South African Right2Know Coalition has been invited to testify before a legislative committee considering the Protection of State Information bill. The committee relented following objections by opposition party representatives on the panel and added the coalition to the list of 18 witnesses who will give […]
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9 March 2012
Groups Detail Concerns With EU Access Stalemate
More than 30 groups have signed a March 8 letter initiated by Access Info Europe to influence the outcome of behind-the-scenes discussions about access to documents in the European Union. The Danish Presidency of the European Union has circulated a “non-paper” in an effort to break a stalemate between the European Commission and the European […]
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9 March 2012
Action on SA Secrecy Bill Delayed Until May
South Africa’s National Council of Provinces on March 6 agreed to a resolution extending until May 17 the reporting deadline of the ad hoc committee dealing with the Protection of State Information Bill. The ad hoc committee’s initial reporting deadline was April 8. The delay would put off potential adoption, widely expedted, until after the meeting of […]
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9 March 2012
Bhutanese Parliamentarian Calls for Passage of RTI Law
A member of the Bhutan parliament has called for enactment of a right to information law and a pro-RTI Facebook page has been established. Sangay Khandu, a Member of Parliament of Bhutan representing the people of Gasa Dzongkhag to the National Council, expressed his views in an article published on his blog. Khandu wrote: A largely […]
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8 March 2012
Submission of FOI Bill Delayed on Isle of Man
Isle of Man Chief Minister Allan Bell on Feb. 22 pushed back the date for introduction of a bill on freedom of information, indicating that further study is necessary. Last November, Bell promised a bill by the start of the recently begun parliamentary session, but now he said introduction won’t occur until the end of the […]
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2 March 2012
Egypt Indicates Plans to Offer Draft FOI Legislation Soon
A top Egyptian government minister on Feb. 27 said a draft freedom of information bill will be submitted to Parliament soon, according to a report in Egypt.com. Assistant Minister of Justice of Legislative Affairs, Omar al-Sherif, said the Justice Ministry has prepared a draft bill in coordination with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. […]
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2 March 2012
Bahamian Senate Approves Revised FOI Legislation
The Bahamian Senate on Feb. 23 approved a freedom of information bill, setting the stage for action in the House of Assembly. The bill was a newly modified version. (See previous FreedomInfo.org reports.) A copy of the latest bill is here. Attorney General John Delaney led debate, according to an account by Taneka Thompson in the […]
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24 February 2012
Ghana Parliament Continues to Delay FOI Legislation
By Toby McIntosh Supporters of freedom of Information legislation in Ghana continue to wait for Parliament to prepare a report on last summer’s national consultations about the long-delayed bill. Some members of Parliament recently lamented that President John Evans Atta Mills has not delivered on his promise to get a FOI bill passed. The Joint Committee […]
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24 February 2012
FOI Supporters Meet With Top Sierra Leone Official
Advocates of the much-delayed freedom of information bill in Sierra Leone recently met with a key advisor to the president, who promised to give the bill closer study, according to a report in Sierra Express. Five FOI Coalition members met with the Chief of Staff in the office of the President on Feb. 2 to discuss the […]
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24 February 2012
Zambian Minister Predicts FOI Bill Will Be Tabled by July
Zambia’s Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Labour Fackson Shamenda Feb. 22 said a freedom of information bill will be tabled in Parliament by July. He was speaking at the send-off ceremony for eight representatives from the media, civil society and government officials who will visit the United States Feb. 25-March 11 to study the U.S. […]
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17 February 2012
Philippines Coalition Endorses Aquino FOI Legislation
A leader in the Philippines House of Representatives has indicated he plans to schedule hearings on freedom of information in late February en route to summertime enactment. The comment by Deputy House Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada came at a Feb. 15 press event at which the bill’s supporters released a lengthy statement […]
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17 February 2012
Comments In, Hearing Set As UK Furthers FOIA Review
The public comment period has ended and the Justice Select Committee has scheduled its first “evidence session” on possible revision of the United Kingdom’s Freedom of Information law. The committee will hold its first evidence session Feb. 21 and hear from: Maurice Frankel, Director, Campaign for Freedom of Information; Alexandra Runswick, Deputy Director, Unlock Democracy; […]
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17 February 2012
AG Offers Amendments for Bahamas FOI Legislation
The Bahamas House of Assembly on Feb. 20 is scheduled to begin debating a freedom of information bill, changes for which were recently proposed by Attorney-General John Delaney. A copy of the latest bill is here. The latest amendments would restrict use of the law to Bahamian citizens and permanent residents and provide for the […]
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13 February 2012
Guatemala Weighs Tighter Hold on Military Information
By Rachel Hatcher Hatcher is a PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. She is now in Guatemala studying post-conflict public memories and discourses of the civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador. The Guatemalan Congress is considering stricter controls on the release of information about military and diplomatic matters. The proposal, first introduced on […]
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10 February 2012
EU Presidency Seeks Solution on Controversial Access Rules
By Staffan Dahllöf Dahllöf is co-editor of Wobbing Europe, where this article first appeared. The Danish EU-presidency has taken unusual steps to promote adoption of new access rules: Member countries have been summoned to conflict talks, before there is an open conflict. The aim is to facilitate an update of regulation 1049/2001, the soon to […]
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6 February 2012
Aquino FOI Bill Sparks Debate, Amendment Ideas
Now that Philippine President Benigno Aquino has submitted his freedom of information bill, proposals to expand it have surfaced and critics are calling it too timid. FOI advocates had known the bill would fall below their expectations, but decided to compromise in order to fulfill a decade-old goal of passing a FOI law. Proponents in the Congress continue […]
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3 February 2012
Bahamas Set to Debate Freedom of Information Bill
By Larry Smith Smith is an independent columnist whose work appears in The Tribune. Reprinted by permission. Last October the government tabled an historic Freedom of Information Bill in Parliament – fulfilling a key election pledge. This law is expected to be debated in the next few days. Some have called the proposed legislation weak, arguing that […]