Report on allegations of political interference in two FOI requests. The allegations were made by members of the Opposition Party and they related to actions taken by a Legislative Assistant in the office of the Minister of Finance.
Findings:
Contentious issues management processes, absent politically driven influences, are not inconsistent with the government’s responsibilities under the Act.
No evidence of political interference in either request was found.
Ministry’s contentious issues management process allowed inaction by political staff to lead to unacceptable delays in processing one request – Minister to conduct a review of that process
IPC to offer comprehensive training to political staff.
