SUMMARY OF ACT

The Access to Information Act, 2002 was passed in June 2002 and will come into effect in 2003. It will give You a general right of access to official government information which would otherwise be inaccessible. Further, under the Act, certain information will not be subject to disclosure in order to protect essential public interests and private rights.

The Act aims to reinforce fundamental democratic principles vital to:

improved, more transparent government;

greater accountability of government to its people;

increased public influence on and participation in national decision making;

and knowledge of the functions of government.

The Act therefore, signals a ground breaking departure from an age-old culture of secrecy surrounding government and its day to day activities.

Access to information (ATI) or Freedom of Information (FIO) legislation, as it is called in some jurisdictions, has existed since 1776 and is in force in many countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada and most of Europe and Trinidad and Tobago and Belize.

The last ten (10) years have seen a tremendous increase in the number of countries adopting this type of legislation, the chief reasons being:

the rise of new democracies with constitutional guarantees of the right to information;

an increased involvement of International Bodies (Commonwealth, O.A.S. etc.) in the promotion of this type of law;

a growing push on the part of International Lending Agencies (I.M.F., World Bank etc) towards the promotion of improved government account ability globally.
 
The Access to Information Unit
Jamaica Archives and Records Department
Office of the Prime Minister
5-7 South Odeon Avenue, Kingston 10 Jamaica W.I.
Tel: (876) 968-3166, 968-8282 Fax: 906-4667