Welcome to the webpage on the Freedom of Information Act!
The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act (Cap. 496) will come fully into force on 1st September 2012. This Act gives the general public a right to access to documents held by Public Authorities, including all ministries and departments, and thus increases transparency and accountability.
You can submit a request for a document to the Public Authority that you think holds the document you are interested in. The Public Authority shall decide on your request within 20 working days. You have the right to complain, to the Public Authority or the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, if you are not satisfied with the way the Public Authority handled your request.
Every Public Authority has appointed an FOI Officer who shall handle requests for documents submitted by the public and represent the Public Authority on all matters related to the FOI Act. For a list of all the Public Authorities and their FOI Officers (including contact details) click here.
In order to ensure correct implementation of the Act and to co-ordinate matters across government, a dedicated unit, the Freedom of Information Co-Ordinating Unit (FOICU), was set up within the Directorate for Programme Implementation of the Ministry for Justice, Dialogue and the Family.
For more information on how to make a request or if you would like to know more about the FOI Act, click here.