ACCESS TO INFORMATION: SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

ACCESS TO INFORMATION: SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

ACCESS TO INFORMATION REGULATIONS

ARRANGEMENT OF REGULATIONS

    REGULATION

PART I
PRELIMINARY

    1.    Citation

    2.    Interpretation

PART II
INFORMATION OFFICERS, ORGANIZATION AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

    3.    Appointment of information officers

    4.    Functions of information officers

    5.    Record keeping and maintenance of records

    6.    Digitization of records of information

    7.    Publication of information

    8.    Annual reports and work plans

PART III
GUIDES AND MANUALS

    9.    Availability of guides

    10.    Availability of manuals

PART IV
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION AND DISCLOSURE

    11.    Request for information

    12.    Electronic request

    13.    Processing of a request for information

    14.    Grant of access to information

    15.    Notice to third parties

    16.    Format for disclosure of information

    17.    Access fees

    18.    Conditions for use of disclosed information

    19.    Public disclosure of information

    20.    Transfer of a request

    21.    Information that cannot be found or does not exist

    22.    Refusal of access to information

PART V
INTERNAL REVIEW

    23.    Request for internal review of a decision of an information holder

    24.    Procedure for internal review

PART VI
EXTERNAL REVIEW OF DECISION OF INFORMATION HOLDER

    25.    External review of a decision by information holder

    26.    Right to be heard

    27.    Determination

PART VII
MISCELLANEOUS

    28.    Prevention of disclosure of information

    29.    Misuse of disclosed information

    30.    Budget allocation

    31.    Administrative guidelines

        FIRST SCHEDULE

        SECOND SCHEDULE

G.N. 1/2021

ACCESS TO INFORMATION REGULATIONS

under s. 55

PART I
PRELIMINARY

1.    Citation

    These Regulations may be cited as the Access to Information Regulations.

2.    Interpretation

    In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—

    “information seeker” means a person who submits a request for information to an information holder.

PART II
INFORMATION OFFICERS, ORGANIZATION AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

3.    Appointment of information officers

    (1) The head of an information holder shall appoint or designate an officer in middle to senior management, as an information officer.

    (2) The head of the information holder shall submit the name of the information officer to the Minister.

    (3) The Minister shall publish names of information officers in at least two newspapers of nationwide circulation at the beginning of each financial year.

    (4) Notwithstanding the publication made pursuant to subregulation (3), an information holder shall publish the name and contact details of its information officer on its website.

    (5) An information holder may have more than one information officer provided that where this is the case, there shall be clear demarcation of roles and hierarchy of the information officers.

4.    Functions of information officers

    An information officer shall—

    (a)    ensure that an information holder attends to all requests for information within the prescribed time frame;

    (b)    facilitate the publication of information in the custody of the information holder that is required to be proactively disclosed;

    (c)    facilitate the updating of information on the website of the information holder;

    (d)    work with the public relations officer of the information holder to ensure that information is accessible; and

    (e)    ensure that information that is disclosed is verified by the head of the information holder.

5.    Record keeping and maintenance of records

    (1) An information officer shall ensure that an information holder keeps information in an organized and easily accessible manner.

    (2) An information holder shall have an active website which is updated regularly.

    (3) A website of an information holder shall have, at a minimum, the following information—

    (a)    functions of the information holder;

    (b)    institutional set up with information on key officers;

    (c)    physical, postal and e-mail addresses of the information holder; and

    (d)    name and contact details of its information officer.

6.    Digitization of records of information

    An information holder shall digitize all records in the custody of the information holder in the manner prescribed by the Minister.

7.    Publication of information

    (1) An information holder shall ensure that the information in section 15 of the Act is published within sixty days of generation.

    (2) The information holder shall develop an information manual which shall include the following information—

    (a)    functions of the information holder; and

    (b)    vision and core values of the information holder.

    (3) The information holder shall upload the manual on its website and may, on request, provide a hard copy to an information seeker.

    (4) In addition to provisions of subregulation (3), the information holder may, where the information holder determines that it is necessary so to do, publish the information in newspapers of nationwide circulation, radio, television or other relevant media to ensure wide circulation of such information.

8.    Annual reports and work plans

    An information officer shall, within three months from the end of a financial year, publish a summary annual progress report of…