Cayman Lawmakers Pass Freedom Of Information Bill

by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London

03 September 2007

The Cayman Islands is on its way to giving legislative backing to the public's right to access most records of government, including those of statutory authorities and government owned companies, according to Leader of Government Business, Kurt Tibbetts.

The Legislative Assembly passed the Freedom of Information Bill into law on August 31, and it is scheduled to become law on January 1, 2009.

According to the government, the bill's 14 month roll-out period is aimed at ensuring that all government departments are prepared to respond to requests for information from the public.

"The timeline that has been set out is what is thought of, at this point and time, as a practical timeline," Mr Tibbetts explained, speaking with regard to the 14-month period between passage of the bill and its coming into effect. "We don't want to simply rush the date for putting it into effect, and then we have a dissatisfied public."

Tibbetts' tabling of the FOI bill meant that the document had come full circle since he introduced it to the House in November 2005 as a paper for public discussion and consultation.

The document tabled in the House reflected public input gathered at community meetings in all of Cayman's districts, along with written and emailed comments from individuals locally and abroad.

"As a result of public input, greater emphasis has been placed on the general principles of maximum disclosure and releasing information in the public interest. These principles provide the foundation on which Government can begin building a new culture of openness," the Leader of Government Business explained.

"For example the scope of the bill ensures that Government ministries, portfolios, and statutory authorities are all defined as public authorities and even Cabinet is not excluded from a FOI request," he concluded.

Recommended