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"Much of the information which had been released in response to requests would not have been accessible to the public before the Code was introduced," the spokesman said.
"Some initial nervousness has been replaced by willing acceptance, and in some cases enthusiasm for the new arrangements on the part of the Government agencies already covered by the Code, and those to be covered in future," he added.
One surprising fact was that of all the requests for information so far received, only one was identifiably from a media organisation.
"While this could indicate that existing informal avenues for gaining access to Government information continue to be adequate, elsewhere in the world the media are major users of formal access to information schemes.
"We hope that the media would make use of the Code, and would also play a role in informing the public at large of this avenue for gaining access to information held by the Government.
"The Government is publicly committed to extending the Code's coverage to all its departments by the end of 1996, and is now considering how this can be done as quickly as possible," the spokesman said.
Attention News Editors:
For further enquiries, please contact Mr David Weeks, Deputy Head (SD) of the Efficiency Unit, on 2656 2331; or Mr Chan Tat-kuen, Principal Executive Officer (SD) of the Unit, on 2565 8213.
End/Friday, April 14, 1995
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