By Dionne Rose, Staff ReporterFIVE ADDITIONAL Government ministries will embrace the Access to Information Act (ATI) by month-end, the third phase of the implementation of a more transparent regime in the public sector.
The five are the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Transport and Works; Justice; National Security and Labour and Social Security.
"The relevant orders are waiting to be signed. Those five entities are in a state of readiness," said Diane Young, public education manager of the Access to Information Unit.
These ministries will join the current 15 ministries and agencies that have implemented the Act since January of this year.
Ms. Young pointed out that phase four of the implementation process will see the ministries of Industry and Tourism and Land and Environment implementing the Act.
REQUESTS
For the first quarter of the year, 84 requests were made for official documents; 69 of those requests were processed but only 23 had full access. Of the total requests, 12 were referred to documents which were routinely available; two were treated informally, 26 were transferred, 13 deferred, four could not be processed because the documents did not exist and two of the persons making the requests decided not to pursue the matter.
Neville James, deputy chairman of the ATI Stakeholders Advisory Committee, has however criticised the performance of the ministries since the implementation of the Act. He pointed out that "too many applications that are made are being transferred to other entities without trying to get the information".
