A PUBLIC consultation on extending the Freedom of Information Law to cover arm’s-length organisations is due to take place later this year – despite an 11-year-old States decision to do so remaining in force.
Assistant Chief Minister Deputy Malcolm Ferey said that work is being carried out to produce an interim report by mid-September, which will be followed by a joint public and stakeholder consultation later in the year to “gauge opinion” on what an extension of the FOI legislation should include.
Deputy Ferey, who is leading the government effort, said he expected the eight-week consultation to be concluded by the end of the year or early 2026 at the latest.
Following a proposal from Deputy Carolyn Labey, agreed by the States Assembly in 2014, autonomous States-owned bodies such as the Jersey Development Company, JT and Jersey Post were also meant to be subject to the legislation.
However, implementing the proposition was delayed in 2015 and hit further problems in 2017 over what the government described at the time as ‘commercial issues’ and, to date, the law has still not been extended to arm’s-length bodies.
Earlier this year, Chief Minister Deputy Lyndon Farnham confirmed in a States sitting that his government was developing proposals to extend the law in a “phased manner, alongside strengthened commercial exemptions”.
Separately, however, Deputy Chief Minister Tom Binet called for an overhaul of the Freedom of Information Act after the government revealed that more than 1,000 requests for information were made by members of the public in 2024, at a cost of over £1 million.
When the law was introduced, it was estimated that there would be around 60 submissions per year.
On the current situation, Deputy Ferey was enthusiastic about progress made and emphasised the need for the extension of the law, even if ALOs would be financially impacted to deal with requests for information from Islanders.
He gave Jersey Water as an example of where freedom of information requests would likely be made amid the ongoing process to research and treat PFAS levels in the Island’s water system and support impacted people.
“There will be a cost implication for organisations with the extension of the law who may need to appoint staff to deal with information requests in a timely manner,” Deputy Ferey said. “Although I think what trumps that [cost], is openness and transparency,” he added.
