Announcement by the Commissioner for Information, Ms Irene Loizidou - Nicolaidou
The Law on the Right of Access to Public Sector Information, Law 184(I)/2017, which entered into force on 22 December 2020, was adopted, on the one hand, to enable citizens to obtain general information concerning the Public and Wider Public Sector and, on the other hand, to exercise control over acts of the Administration.
This Law also creates an obligation for public authorities to publish information held by them or to provide it to citizens upon request, free of charge or for a fee, provided that the requested information does not fall within the exceptions provided for in the Law. The Information Commissioner, who is the relevant Privacy Commissioner, is responsible for overseeing this Act.
On 22 December 2021, one year will pass from the entry into force of this Act. During this period, training seminars were conducted for public authority officials, Guidelines were issued, 226 Publication Plans were approved, 25 complaints were submitted, 29 written questions were answered and 5 Final Decisions were issued. A large number of telephone enquiries were also answered.
Despite the fact that this Law is relatively new, I assess that it has been accepted and embraced by the public as a tool that contributes to accountability and transparency. However, I believe that we must continue our efforts to inform, raise awareness and encourage the public to exercise their rights.
Interested citizens can find useful material on the Office's website www.informationcommissioner.gov.cy or submit questions, in writing or by telephone.
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