Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Chief Ombudsman launches major review of OIA practices

Chief Ombudsman launches major review of OIA practices in the public sector

Date: Embargoed until noon, 16 December 2014

The Chief Ombudsman, Dame Beverley Wakem, has today begun a wide ranging review of Official Information Act (OIA) practices in the public sector.

12 central government agencies have been selected for formal review, while a further 63 agencies and all 27 Ministers’ offices are being asked to complete a detailed two-part survey covering all aspects of OIA practice. Dame Beverley has formally notified the relevant Chief Executives and Ministers of the review, which will be conducted under the Ombudsmen Act.

The 12 agencies for formal review have been selected against the following criteria:

Size of agency (FTEs)

Number of OIA requests received per year (where data exists)

Number of OIA complaints to the Ombudsman

Number of OIA delay complaints upheld by the Ombudsman

Length of time taken to respond to OIAs (where data exists)

Broad coverage of the core public sector

Inclusion of at least one agency that has been cited for embodying good OIA practice, as well as those cited for poor practice.

The Office of the Ombudsman will also seek broad input from current and former public servants, opposition parties, journalists, academic commentators and other users of the OIA. Information on how members of the public may make submissions for the review will be released in the New Year.

Dame Beverley says that the aim of the project is to assess the quality and integrity of OIA practice across the public sector and to address any issues that are found.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“The effective operation of the OIA is crucial to our system of open and democratic government, and this review will scrutinise how things are currently operating and set out a framework for systemic improvement where deficiencies are identified.”

In recent months, there have been allegations in the media (at least one of which has been substantiated in the findings of an independent inquiry) that OIA processes have been circumvented for a variety of reasons.

“This has the potential to erode public confidence in the OIA throughout the core public sector,” says Dame Beverley.

“The public needs the assurance that both the letter and the spirit of the law are being observed by the custodians of public information. Our independent review of agencies’ OIA practice combined with greater transparency of OIA processes should help renew the foundation for that assurance”.

“I expect that the project will yield very substantial benefits for both requesters and holders of official information and that it will act as a valuable OIA health check for agencies. My intention is that it will be the start of a more concentrated programme of engagement with agencies to help them meet their OIA obligations in the most effective and efficient manner possible,” she says.

Ends

Note: More details of the project including the questions for the first part of the survey will be on our website from midday today: www.ombudsman.parliament.nz. The project summary is attached to this email.

OIA_Review_Project_Summary.doc

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.