Freedom of information will cost too much, say ministers
Tuesday 18th May 2010, 2:57PM BST.
Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur
MINISTERS are gearing up to fight the introduction of a new Freedom of Information Law on the grounds that it will cost too much.
Minutes from the Privileges and Procedures Committee show that ministers are laying the groundwork for a fight against the new law, which would force departments to be more open and accountable.
Although most countries have adopted legislation giving the public and the press statutory rights to demand information held by public authorities, the States are still sticking to an informal code of practice, which has had limited success.
The committee want to bring the law to the States by the end of the year. Minutes for the Privileges meeting of 13 April show that the Council of Ministers asked for money from the committee to fund a review of how much the law would cost to introduce.
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we can’t afford to know the facts (FOI), but we can afford an expensive ‘communications department’ (read-spin department). very poor.
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Will cost too much….? what in disclosure…cost has never prevented these ministers fostering their pet projects….but it must go down as the most pitiful excuse for continuing cloak and dagger dishonesty yet…get honest get open could there be a better use of money…
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We pay private companies huge amounts of taxpayers money – Verita, Williamson, Upex, Howard League to investigate the gross mismanagement of the public services in Jersey. Only a fraction of this money would be needed to service a freedom of information law and as a result might reduce the need for such expensive inquiries.
Just exactly what have the States of Jersey got to hide? Why are they so frightened of letting the people who pay their wages know what they are up to?
This truly is a scandal and of a much greater magnitude than that of Ian Le Marquand’s pathetic example.
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What an addmission of failure…
The necessity of governments, regional or otherwise, to be accountable to their electorate is one of the basic democratic rights and is valueless.
The States of Jersey are as much as interested in being accountable to the island’s inhabitants as the German Occupation Authorities were 65 years ago!
After all the Liberation Day hype you think that the successor administration of this island would be more sensitive to democratic issues and rights. Those so-called “ministers” opposed to the Freedom of Information Act are obviously not. And to put the argument of costs as being the reason for their opposition is an insult to the intelligence of the people who voted them.
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Just for once please let the voters of this Island remember who votes against the FOI Law and ensure that they never get elected again.
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The UK government gets a lot of things wrong but compare and contrast Westminster’s willingness to reform, there will be a referendum on the alternative vote to try and make UK elections fairer, with the State’s continual refusal to do anything at all.
The UK government is also made up of mature politicians who admit mistakes and accept the blame. Compare this with the evasions and finger pointing of our lot.
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