Public Access to Information (PATI) legislation has been tabled in the House of Assembly, and is set to be fully operational by next April.

Premier Michael Dunkley this morning tabled the Public Access to Information Regulations 2014 and the Public Access to Information Amendment Bill 2014.

Speaking in the House, Mr Dunkley said the regulations give effect to the principles of PATI while detailing its practical implementation.

“In particular, the Regulations make specific provision for administrative matters including timelines for delivery of information and the fees to be charged for the production of records,” Mr Dunkley said.

“In addition to the draft Regulations, the Bill proposing amendments to the Public Access to Information Act 2010 is intended to bring further clarity to the existing provisions pertaining to notice periods, penalties and exemptions from disclosure. The draft Bill and Regulations are significant in that they signal the fact that Bermuda is ready to honour the commitment to transparency and accountability made in 2010 with the passage of the Public Access to Information Act.

“Both the Act and the Regulations will come into operation on 1st April 2015. From that date, members of the public will be able to make requests for information under PATI. For a relatively modest cost, they can obtain copies of that information. However, in accordance with the legislation, not everything is accessible, as there are certain kinds of information outlined in the legislation which are exempted from release.”

The Premier said that before PATI is put into effect, there will be training opportunities for public servants, while members of the public will have the time to seek clarification about the procedures and other matters.

“With the tabling of the Bill and the Regulations, I am pleased that I have met the first of my commitments to the people of Bermuda and have fulfilled my Government’s pledge to progress our goals of operating with transparency and accountability,” he added.

Honourable Members and members of the public can be assured that I intend to meet the promise of PATI being fully operational by April 2015.”