Access code to be extended
The Government today (Thursday) announced that a further 18 branches and departments would come under the Code on Access to Information on February 26.
This will bring to a total of 75 out of the 90 government agencies covered by the Code.
A spokesman for the Efficiency Unit of the Government Secretariat reiterated that the Administration remained committed to extend the Code to all branches and departments by the end of this year.
He said: "The full text of the Code is now published on the Internet, together with the full internal guidelines to departments on how they should interpret and apply the Code, and contact details for all departmental Access to Information Officers.
"Anyone who wishes to see this material can do so at the World-Wide Web Government Information Centre on http://www.info.gov.hk. The 'Access to Government Information' pages can be found by clicking on Topical Information' on the Government Information Centre front page.
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Since the Code was first introduced on a trial basis last March, there has been a total of 652 requests for access to information. Of these, 24 have been rejected, and 18 partially declined.
Three complaints of non-compliance have been made to the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints, of which one was found to be unsubstantiated and the investigation of another was discontinued when the agency concerned decided of its own volition to release the information at issue. The remaining complaint is still under investigation.
The 18 Government agencies to be added to the Code are:
Civil Aviation Department
Economic Services Branch
Education and Manpower Branch
Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
Finance Branch
Health and Welfare Branch
Hong Kong Monetary Authority