PDF THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT

[Pages:32]THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

Shon titlc. PART 1. Preliminan,

Objccts of Act. Intcrprctation. Publication of information by public authority. Application of Act.

PART 11. Right of..lccess Right of access. Application for access. Trsnsfcr of requests. Forins of access. Assistance and dcfcrmcnt of acccss. Deletion of exempt matter. Fees. ctc. Grant of acccss.

PART 111. Es-eirrpr D o c ~ r t ~ r c ~ t . ~ Documents affecting securiw. defence or international relations. Cabinet documcnts. Docunlcilts relating to law enforcement. Docurt~cntssubicct to legal pri\4cgc. ctc. Documents affecting national economy. Docualcnts rc\.caling Go\,ernmcllt's delibcrati\c prwcsscs. Docunlents relating to business affairs. etc. Docunlcnts rclating to heritage sites. ctc.

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32. Docu~ncntsaffecting personill pri\.ac!.. 7 3 . ISSIICof ccrtificatc re cse~nptdocumc~lr.

PART IV. .I I I I ~ I I ~ ~ I I I ~cI~I l/rtlI.~rirorc~rioof~l'~olvonc~lIiecorriv 21 4ppl icnt1011 for a rwndn~cntor amlotation of pcrsor~alrccords. 25 Alncndnlent of rccords. 20. An~iotationof pcrsonal rccords. 2?. Notice of a~ncndmcntsor annotations. 28. Transfcr of applications for il111~11dmcourt alu~otation.

PART V. I i e ~ h vnnt1.-lpprd 29. Inlcrprctation.

3 1 Proccdurc rr inlcrnal rc\,ic\\ 3 2 Appcal.

PART VI. ,\ liscc.lla~ieor/.v 33. Protcction from liabilit~ re defaniatior~.brcach of confidcncc or

copyrigl~t. 34. Offcncc. 35. Provisions re other Acts. 36. Reports.

38. Review of Act by Parliamentary cornrnittce. SCHEDULES

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THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT

~cts 21 o f 2002,

1. This Act may be cited as the Access to Information Act. Sliwititl~.

PART I. l'relin7hary 2. The objects of this Act are to reinforce and give further obi~ctsor effect to certain fundamental principles underlying the system of constitutional democracy, namely-

(a) governmental accountability;

( h ) transparency; and

( ) public participation in national decision-making,

by granting to the public a general right of access to ot'ticial documents held by public authorities, subject to exemptions which balance that right against the public intcrest in exempting fiom disclosure governmental, commercial or personal information of a sensitive nature.

3. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires"appointed day" means the 5th day of January, 2004;

Inlzrprctation.

"document" includes, in addition to a document in writing-

( a ) any map, plan, graph or drawing; @) any photograph;

(c) any disc, tape, sound track or other device in which sounds or other data (not being visual images) are embodied, whether electronically or othei-wisc, SO as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom;

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(4 any film (including microfilm), negative, tape

or other device in which one or more visual images are embodied whether electronically or otherwise, so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom;

"exempt document" means a document which by virtue of any provision of Part 111 is exempt from disclosure;

"exempt matter" means any matter the inclusion of which in a document causes that part of the document to be exempt from disclosure;

L L g ~ ~ e r n mcoemn tpany" means a company registered under the Companies Act, being a company in which the Government or an agency of the Government, whether by the holding of shares or by other financial input, is in a position to influence the policy of the company;

"official document" means a document held by a public authority in connection with its functions as such, whether or not it was created-

(cr) by that authority; or

( h ) before the 5th day of January, 2004,

and for the purposes of this Act, a document is held by a public authority if it is in its possession, custody or control;

"public authority" means-

(a) a Ministry, department, Executive Agency or other agency of Government;

( b ) a statutory body or authority;

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(c) a Parish Council;

(4 the Council of the Kingston and St. Andrew

Corporation;

( e ) any Government company which-

(i) is wholly owned by the Government or an agency of the Government, or in which the Government holds more than fifty per cent shares; or

(ii) is specified in an order under section 5 (3);

V) any other body or organization specified in an order under section 5 (3);

"responsible Ministeryymeans the Minister responsible for the public authority which holds an official document.

4.-41) A public authority shall cause to be published within publication

twelve months of -

o f information

by public

(a) the appointed day;

authority.

(b) its establishment;

(c) the coming into operation of an order under section 5 (1) (a)or (3) which specified that authority; or

(6) the application of the provisions of this Act to that 242003

public authority pursuant to section 5 (1) (h),

S. 2(c).

whichever is later, an initial statement of its organization and

functions containing the information specified in the First First

Schedule.

Schedule.

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4.02

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

First Schedule.

(2) The provisions of the First Schedule shall apply for the purposes of making available to the public the document described in that Schedule.

(3) The infornlation required under subsection (1) shall be published in such manner and shall be updated with such frequency as may be prescribed.

(4) The Minister may amend the First Schedule by order subject to affirmative resolution.

Application of Act.

2.112003 S. 3(b).

2412003 S. 3(b)

5.--(1) Subject to subsection (2),this Act applies to-

(a) public authorities which are specified by the Minister by order within eighteen months after the appointed day; and

(b) all other public authorities immediately after the expiration of the period of eighteen months referred to in paragraph (a);

(c) official documents created by or held by a public authority not earlier than thirty years immediately preceding the appointed day.

(2) The Minister may, by order subject to negative

resolution, declare that this Act shall apply to official documents

1

created by or held by a public authority at such date, being

earlier than the thirty years referred to in subsection (1) (c), as

may be specified in that order.

(3) The Minister may, by order subject to affirmative resolution, declare that this Act shall apply to-

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ACCESS TO INFORMATION

(a) such government companies, other than those specified in paragraph (e) (i) of the definition of "public authority", as may be specified in the order;

(b) any other body or organization which provides services of a public nature which are essential to the welfare of the Jamaican society,

or to such aspects of their operations as may be specified in the order.

(4) An order under subsection (3) may be made subject to such exceptions, adaptations or modifications, as the Minister may consider appropriate.

(5) The Minister may, by order subject to affirmative resolution, declare that the application of this Act in relation to any government company specified in paragraph (e) (i) of the definition of "public authority" shall be subject to such exceptions, adaptations or modifications as the Minister may consider appropriate.

(6) This Act shall not apply to-

(a) the Governor-General, in relation to the exercise of the powers and duties conferred or imposed on him by or under the Constitution of Jamaica or under any other law;

(b) the judicial functions of-

(i) a court;

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ACCESS TO INFORMA TION

(ii) the holder of a judicial office or other office connected with a court;

(c) the security or intelligence services in relation to their strategic or operational intelligence gathering activities;

(6) any statutory body or authority as the Minister may specify by order subject to affirmative resolution.

(7) This Act applies to official documents held in a registry or other office of a court, being documents that relate only to matters of an administrative nature.

(8) In subsection (6) "security or intelligence services" means-

(a) the Jamaica Constabulary Force; ( b ) the Island Special Constabulary Force; (c) the Rural Police; (6) the Jamaica Defence Force.

Right of access.

PART 11. Right of Access

6.-(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, every person shall have a right to obtain access to an official document, other than an exempt document.

(2) The exemption of an official document or part thereof from disclosure shall not apply after the document has been in existence for twenty years, or such shorter or longer period as the Minister may specify by order, subject to affirmative resolution.

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