Chief Ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier
The Act [OIA] says responses should be as soon as practicable. That, in most cases, should be almost immediately. Twenty days soon becomes a target rather than an absolute maximum.
### ODT Online Fri, 3 Feb 2017
Editorial: Reinvigorating the OIA
OPINION The move by the Chief Ombudsman and the State Services Commission this week to join forces to release statistics on how the public sector responds to official information requests is welcomed.
The step might be small — giving just an overview of how many requests each department receives, whether they respond by the 20-day deadline and how many complaints are lodged about them — but it is in the right direction. While it reveals the worst performers, deeper digging and more detail is needed to be assured about just how some departments and government agencies are doing in complying with the letter and spirit of the Official Information Act. Encouragingly, the commission is going further, developing a suite of “best practice” measures by the end of November this year. It will also be good to know how many requests are accepted or rejected and also how many requests are delayed right up to that deadline.
Read more
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Media Release
First release of OIA statistics
January 31, 2017
The Chief Ombudsman has today published comprehensive data about OIA complaints. This first release covers the six months to December 2016 and future releases will happen every six months.
Read more at http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/newsroom/item/first-release-of-oia-statistics
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
This post is offered in the public interest.