In praise of Pati: panel speaks on importance of data
Charities highlighted the vital importance of accessible data on Friday as the Information Commissioner’s Office marked ten years of public access to information.
At a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Government, charities and the media, Denise Carey, of Home Bermuda, told of its difficulty in gauging how many Bermudians suffer from homelessness.
She recalled a night in 2021 when she went to Par-la-Ville Park to count those she saw sleeping rough. Between Crow Lane Bakery and Barr’s Bay Park, she said, she was shocked to find 35 people.
Half of them were more than 55 years old, and one had been living outside for 35 years.
Ms Carey said: “How could no one notice?”
She said solutions had to be data-driven, requiring the charity to dig into specific details on different levels of homelessness.
She added: “The data should be informing our community — it is where the budget should be going.”
Ms Carey said Home had introduced a cloud-based case management system to produce data in real time.
Aaron Crichlow, a lawyer and founder of Bermuda Is Love, emphasised the importance of having the right data to craft the best solutions.
He told the gathering: “From Bermuda Is Love’s perspective, access to information is philosophically a part of a functioning democracy.
“We need to know exactly what is going on within government departments in particular, so we can know what is going on with our society and to know how we can activate change.”
He said Home had done well to gather much needed data about the homelessness situation, but more was needed to address the problem.
“It is not just about providing more housing, because we know that the problem is the private commodification of the housing that we have in Bermuda,” he said.
“When we talk about information, we need more information to know exactly where more houses need to be built, who needs them and how we can make better change.”
Jason Outerbridge, the Information Officer, said his office will work to make sure the public is kept informed on the introduction of fees for Pati searches.
He said the law will charge fees for requests taking more than 16 hours, adding: “The elements of search and poor record-keeping are removed from how the Government has written the law.”
While Arlene Brock, the former Ombudsman, said some information officers may be more efficient than others, Sarah Lagan, chief reporter at The Royal Gazette, said some requests were inevitably more complicated.
“Guidance for requesters is needed and training for information officers is needed to ensure public authorities can be efficient across the board,” she said.
“Bermuda is overwhelmed with the information being requested. Perhaps there should be more mandated information out there. Declaring of contracts above $50,000, which still doesn’t always happen, is a good example of what could happen going forward with other information.”
Paul McDonald, deputy director of the Department of Planning, said having the information publicly available was an “excellent starting point”, while Dianne Elliot, director of the Land Valuation Department, said searches were made easier when the department went paperless.
Mr Outerbridge added: “We collaborated with the procurement office across the Government to see where the interfaces might be in relation to how they advise their public authorities to meet their requests and their requirements and code, and how we might work together to drive compliance in that area.”
Diane Elliot, director of the Land Valuation Department, said it had worked to produce accurate assessments to help ensure fairer taxation along with the implementation of sound and effective housing.
She said the department embarked on a “proactive publication campaign” and, in 2015, released 30 pages of content with information to help those interested.
Paul McDonald, the assistant director of the Department of Planning, said there was an array of important documents publicly available in the department.
He noted that it went paperless in 2019, with planning applications easily accessible online and kept as up-to-date as possible.
“Planning applications are something we have a public interface with,” he said. “The public is made aware of every application received.”
Mr McDonald added that a wealth of guidance notes were available, along with the reports informing planning policies.
Sarah Lagan, chief reporter at The Royal Gazette, said that data collected through Pati undergirded many hard news stories and investigative pieces.
“Not all government departments are proactive in terms of disseminating information and being transparent, so in those cases Pati has been invaluable,” she said.
“It has helped to uncover lots of information and spurred real change, including legislative change.
“They do say in the profession that journalism is what someone doesn’t want you to know, and unfortunately, often what is in the public interest is not in the public domain — so that is where Pati comes in handy for us.”
Ms Lagan noted her work reporting on Belco’s North Power Station and the complaints over its emissions from residents of the area.
She said: “I would say that was in the public interest, given families have been covered in not just soot but also there have been high levels of emissions, potentially harmful emissions, into the air and there has been a knock-on effect on fuel bills as well, as Belco seeks to mitigate some of the problems.”
Jason Outerbridge, the Information Officer, said there were “pockets of excellence” among authorities that could “amplify and drive better practice”.
He added: “The ICO is financially constrained in the kinds of investigations and compliance work we do, because we are operating under a fixed budget.”
He noted that the ICO holds free sessions at the Bermuda National Library, with the next scheduled to take place between 12.30pm and 1pm on October 10, and the body has an open-door policy for those seeking to learn more.
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