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Preparing
for Implementation
In
preparing for the implementation of any RTI law, the governments
will have to take steps to establish the groundwork necessary to
ensure the effective implementation of the access law. This page
provides links to implementation resources on the following areas
which commonly need to be addressed in preparing for implementation:
General
Training
Public Officials
Raising Public Awareness
Proactive
Disclosure
Records
Management
General
- Juan Pablo Guerrero (2005) The
Mexican Transparency Law: Design and Implementation Experiences,
Mexican Information Commissioner, paper produced for CHRI Conference,
May 2005.
- Marc-Aurele Racicot (2005) The
Access to Information Act: The Canadian Experience, Assistant
Adjunct Professor, University of Alberta, on secondment from the
Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, paper produced
for CHRI Conference, May 2005.
- Phil Boyd (2005) Applying
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 In Practice, Assistant
Information Commissioner of the UK, paper produced for CHRI Conference,
May 2005.
- Mothusi Lepheana (2005) Overview
of Implementation of Freedom of Information Legislation, Director,
Access to Information Unit, South African Human Rights Commission,
paper produced for CHRI Conference, May 2005.
- Aylair Livingstone (2005)
Implementation of the Access to Information Act: The Jamaican
Experience - Challenges and Successes. Director, Access to
Information Unit, Jamaica, paper produced for CHRI Conference,
May 2005.
- UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (2004)
Model
Action Plan for Preparation for Implementation of the FOI Act.
- UK National Audit Office (undated)
Counting Down: Moving from Need to Know to Right to Know - Good
Practice Guide on Preparing to Implement the FOIA 2000.
- UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (2004)
Executive
Summary of Project Plan for Implementation of the FOIA 2000.
- UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (undated)
The
Lord Chancellor's Advisory Group on Implementation of the FOIA
2000.
- UK Information Rights Division (2004) Implementation
of the Freedom of Information Act: High Level Project Initiation
Document.
- UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (undated)
Role
of the Information Commissioner and Department for Constitutional
Affairs in Implementing the FOIA 2000.
- Scottish Information Commission (2004) Annual
Report 2004: Summary of Implementation Activities, the first
annual report produced by the Information Commissioner covers
all of the Commission's work on implementation.
- Scottish Information Commissioner (2004)
Operational Plan 2004/05, organisation wide work programme
for the forthcoming year.
- Scottish Information Commissioner (2004) Compliance
Checklist - "Is Your Department Ready To Implement The FOI
Act?"
- Scottish Information Commissioner (2004) Preparing
for implementation: Survey of Scottish Public Authorities to assess
their preparedness to implement the FOI Act (includes questionnaire).
- Scottish Information Commissioner (2004) Preparing
for implementation: Results of Survey of Scottish Public Authorities
to assess their preparedness and Summary
of Results.
- Richard Calland (2003) Turning
Right To Information Law Into A Living Reality: Access To Information
And The Imperative Of Effective Implementation, Open Democracy
Advice Centre, South Africa.
Training
Public Officials
As
a matter of priority, those implementing the law need to be fully
trained in their responsibilities under the law, in how to manage
applications/appeals, to apply and interpret the law. Training should
be ongoing. As the law is implemented, problems will evolve over
time needing solutions and changes in approach and strategy.
Raising
Public Awareness
If
right to information laws are to meet their objectives of encouraging
more public participation and oversight of government, then citizens
need to be completely aware of their rights and how to enforce them.
Experience has shown that, in the early stages of implementation,
it is important for the Government to take a proactive role in promoting
the Act and making the public aware of the law and how they can
use it.
Proactive
Disclosure
Right
to Information laws not only require governments to provide information
upon request, they also impose a duty on public bodies to actively
disclose, disseminate and publish information, as widely as possible.
The types of information that organisations are required to publish
proactively varies for each RTI law. One of the key activities when
preparing to implement an RTI law is putting in place systems which
facilitate proactive disclosure of information.
Records
Management
At
the core of the right to information are records - papers, documents,
files, notes, materials, videos, tapes, samples, computer printouts,
disks and a range of other things. Without an effective system for
creating, managing, storing and archiving records, implementation
of RTI laws will be more difficult.
- Society of American Archivists (2006) Political
Pressure and the Archival Record, a collection of essays which
cover such topics as the use of records as a tool of government;
destruction of records as political act, secrecy and accountability
etc.
- IRMT Training Modules - International Records
Management Trust (2004) Records
Management Training Materials, comprehensive topic-by-topic
downloadable training materials.
- National Archives of Scotland (2004) Record
Keeping Information & Advice pages.
- Scottish National Archives (2004) Generic
Model Action Plan for developing records management arrangements.
- UK National Archives (2004) E-Governance
Policy Framework for Electronic Records Management.
- UK Public Record Office & National Archives
(2004) Good
Practice in Managing Electronic Documents.
- UK National Archives (2004) Guidelines
for Developing a Policy on Email.
- National Archives of Scotland (2004) Code
of Practice on Records Management.
- UK National Archives (2004) Guidelines
for the Realisation of Benefits from Electronic Records Management
- UK Public Record Office & National Archives
(2004) Guidance
Paper on Managing Web Resources.
- UK National Archives (undated) Records
Management.
- UK National Archives (undated) Electronic
Records Management Resources.
- UK Public Record Office & National Archives
(undated) Guidance
for an Inventory of Electronic Record Collections.
- UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (2002)
Lord
Chancellor's Code of Practice on Records Management.
- UK Public Record Office & National Archives
(2001) Managing
Sustainable Electronic Records
- (2002) Australian
Standard for Records Management, AS ISO 15489, Issued July 2002.
(Essentially identical to International Standard on Records Management,
ISO 15489, in October 2001)
- Laura Millar (2003) The
Right to Information - the Right to Records: The Relationship
between Record Keeping, Access to Information, and Government
Accountability, CHRI unpublished.
- Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan &
Centre for Civic Education Pakistan (2003) Federal Ministry of
Health: A Study into the Information Management System and How
Best the Ministry Can Implement FOI Ordinance 2002.
- John McDonald (2001) "Electronic Record
Keeping: A Canadian Presentation.
- International Records Management Trust &
International Council on Archives (1999) Organising
and Controlling Current Records.
- International Records Management Trust &
International Council on Archives (1999) Managing
Archives in the Public Sector.
- Australian Law Reform Commission (1999) Australia's
Federal Record : A Review of Archives Act 1983, Report No
85.
- Canadian Information Commissioner (1994) Information
Technology and Open Government.
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