Ombudsman to review Hong Kong freedom of information laws

The Ombudsman's office will immediately begin a study of the Hong Kong public’s right and ability to access government information, in response to citizens concerns on the issue over the years, it announced on Friday.

A companion issue was whether the government’s records management system need updating, Ombudsman Alan Lai Nin said. 

“In recent years, many jurisdictions have introduced major reforms to their FOI [freedom of information] regimes to increase the public’s access to information, expand the coverage of the FOI stipulations, and update the laws to keep up with the advance of information technology,” Lai said.

The public had called for better access to government information, Lai said. But officials have insisted the city’s Code on Access to Information is good enough.

The new inquiry will look into the standards and practices surrounding that code, which lacks the force of law in setting out what information must be made available to the public.

The code has remained unchanged since its introduction in 1995. More than 88 jurisdictions around the world have passed laws on freedom of information to protect people’s right to access information.