Cayman Islands’ Information Commissioner, Mrs. Jennifer Dilbert, revealed that there have been over 2,500 freedom of information (FOI) requests for records made to public authorities since inception of her office in January 2009.

Mrs. Dilbert’s shared the statistics while providing a brief introduction to the Freedom of Information initiative at Government Finance Professional Development Week, an ongoing conference for public and private sector professional accountants and students.

Underscoring that everyone has the right to most of the information that government gathers and maintains, she noted that traditional resistance by government personnel to divulging information about government was slowly eroding. She added that information managers were getting much more comfortable providing information sought by the public.

Mrs. Dilbert also outlined the exclusions and exemptions that are allowed in the Freedom of Information Law, including strategic intelligence gathering by security services.

The event continues all week and is organised by the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants and sponsored by government and private sector entities.

Photo by Bina Mani