Transparency thrives under FOI code

Tuesday 27 February 2024

The number of applications made under Guernsey's Freedom of Information code has rocketed over the past decade.

A simple perusal of the section on gov.gg shows that there were 69 FOI requests made in 2023, up from 15 a decade earlier.

Of the 15 FOI requests made in 2014, six were labelled as media requests with the rest implied to be 'individual' requests from members of the public. 

Since 2022, there hasn't been any differentiation made in the listings between media or individual applications.

Guernsey's Freedom of Information Code was approved by the States in 2013. Initially called the Access to Public Information Code, it was introduced by the then-Policy Council to enhance transparency in local governance.

Pictured: The Freedom of Information Code was introduced a decade ago.

With the FOI being used by increasing numbers of people each year, the current Policy and Resources Committee says that is proof of its success.

"The Policy & Resources Committee is pleased to see that over time the Freedom of Information Code (previously known as the Access to Public Information Code) has been used more and more by members of the community," a spokesperson said.

"This is a positive trend and contributes towards the culture of openness of transparency which is a key part of the Code."

The FOI code has "evolved" in the decade since it was introduced, said P&R.

 "It underwent a Scrutiny Review in the previous political term and a number of new elements were introduced including an appeals mechanism. During the Review, and when the new changes were introduced at the beginning of 2023, the Code also benefitted from additional publicity."

There is no discernible pattern to the number or type of FOI requests made, with each needing different amounts of time spent answering. 

The resources originally allocated to the FOI process has not increased to match the increase demand though, said P&R, meaning that the total cost to run the service cannot be verified. 

"FOI requests vary in nature and in some cases, can require significant amounts of staff time to collate and prepare information," said a P&R spokesperson.

"As a result, the increasing number of enquiries does mean service areas are committing more time to preparing responses alongside their other responsibilities. However, the States has not increased the resourcing to manage these enquiries and they continue to be managed within existing resources as part of ‘business as usual’ work. Therefore it is not possible to provide a cost."

FOI requests are intended to be answered within 20 working days.