Govt agencies told to smarten up on disclosure requests

The Chief Ombudsman is warning Government agencies that those who don’t comply with the Official Information Act will face public embarrassment.

For the first time Judge Peter Boshier has joined forces with the State Services Commission to release statistics on how the public sector responds to official information requests.

The data gives an overview of how many requests each department receives, whether each responds by the deadline, and how many complaints.

Boshier said even the news that such information would start being released had prompted a change.

“Some agencies had taken their eye off the ball.

“They regarded official information work as peripheral, and not work they would put mainstream resources into.”

Boshier said the initial results weren’t bad, but showed some departments had major problems with timeliness.

District Health Boards particularly

Some agencies had taken their eye off the ball. They regarded official information work as peripheral. Judge Peter Boshier Chief Ombudsman

face set a low bar, with Hawke’s Bay DHB responding by the deadline only 38.7 per cent of the time.

But these statistics are just the beginning, with Boshier warning that the spotlight will become brighter on those who don’t get the message.

“Everyone knows that there’s a new sense of urgency in the office of the Ombudsman. We expect things to be done quickly and efficiently, and we’re not going to put up with delays from agencies.

“For us to go further, I think the next time we publish we’ll want to drill down a bit further into what we’re seeing.

“I think you’re entitled to see more detail, and for us to talk about things that we’re noticing which systemically need an improvement.”