Govt puts price on release of official information

Press, 14 June 1983, Page 17

Govt puts price on release of official information

PA Wellington The Government has decided on charges for information obtained under the Official Information Act, which comes into force next month, says the State Services Commission. The Cabinet has decided on a scale of fees which is significantly less generous than the recommendations of the Danks Committee which drew up the first draft of the new law. Under the standard system of charging laid down in a Cabinet office paper now being circulated to all departments, there will be no charge if it takes less than one hour for a staff member in a Government

department to find, abstract, collate copy, or supervise access to information. But for each half hour from then on the person or organisation requesting the information is liable to pay $lO. The Danks Committee urged that information should be readily available and free of charge, and recommended that a charge should only be made for time in excess of four hours. Under the guideline, the first 50 pages of photocopied material will also be free but each page extra will cost 10c. The, Cabinet authorises the setting of other charges based on costs involved in, for example, producing a document by using a computer, reproducing a film, video or tape recording; arranging for the applicant to hear or view a recording; and providing a copy of maps or plans or other documents larger than standard A 4 foolscap size. The Cabinet guideline says no charge shall be made where people are seeking personal information held on themselves by Government agencies. It also says that there should be no change where access to official information has until now been given free of charge or under an existing charging arrangement. There is provision for charges to be modified or waived at departmental dis-

cretion in appropriate circumstances. Among other things fees could be waived on the ground of hardship or where “permission for reduction of the charge would facilitate good relations with the public or assist the department or organisation in its works.” The Cabinet guidelines say charges should represent a reasonable fee for access given and may include time spent: • Searching an index to establish location of the information. • Finding (physically) and extracting the information from the place where it is held. a Reading or reviewing the information.

• Supervising access to the information. The charge may not include any allowances for time spent finding and retrieving information which is not where it ought to be, or time spent deciding whether access should be allowed and in what form. Deposits may be required where the charge is likely to exceed $2O, or where some assurance of payment is required to avoid waste of resources. A record must be kept of all costs incurred and the applicant is to be notified of the method of calculating any charge. Under the official Information Act, the Ombudsman has the power to investigate or review charges.