Public boards and committees, which regulate everything from planning applications to the running of the islands’ airports, are facing new pressure to hold their meetings in public.
Government took the step, through a late amendment to the legislation, of mandating that the new National Conservation Council hold open meetings.
The council, which will be formed early this year and will likely meet at least every two weeks, will be one of just five out of more than 100 such statutory boards and committees that conducts its business in public.
Environment Minister Wayne Panton, who introduced the amendment to the National Conservation Bill, said it was important that the business of government be conducted in public wherever possible.
He said there were currently no restrictions on the ability of the boards to open their meetings to the public, though he acknowledged that very few did so.
There were no immediate plans to amend legislation or to issue a formal recommendation to boards to open their meetings to the public, Mr. Panton said, with the government leaving it to them to make that decision. However, he added, “It may get to that point.”
He said, “Other boards could adopt that approach. Many boards don’t have limitations or restrictions on their ability to do it. It is up to them how they want to do it.”
In addition to the new National Conservation Council, the meetings of the liquor boards for Grand Cayman and the Brac and the Legislative Assembly Finance Committee and Public Accounts Committee are currently open to the public. Some, like the Planning Authority, publish minutes and agendas of their meetings, but many do not.
Mr. Panton said there were instances when private or commercially sensitive information was being discussed and it was necessary for meetings to be held in private.
“I have no doubt there are circumstances where it is not appropriate or where it may be necessary to restrict access to the public, but in general, I firmly believe the business of government and boards and authorities should be conducted in the open to eliminate issues of trust,” he added.
Karin Thompson, chairwoman of the Commission for Standards in Public Life, said she hoped to see a move toward more openness and transparency.
“There can be no doubt that there is a glaring need to make meetings or any other form of deliberations of statutory boards and authorities readily accessible to the public unless there is a valid reason for restricting members of the public from so attending,” she said.
She added that all holders of public office need to be accountable for their decisions and submit themselves to appropriate scrutiny.
“In terms of openness, holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take,” Ms Thompson said. “In addition, they should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information or access to the public only when the wider public interest clearly demands.”
In July 2007, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush presented a private member’s motion in the Legislative Assembly asking that certain government-appointed boards, such as Immigration-related boards, the Central Planning Authority and the Port Authority, hold open meetings.
Then-Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts replied that such a move might be impractical, citing space issues.
Mr. Panton said the new Progressives administration had demonstrated a commitment to openness through the amendment to the National Conservation Law.
“The Standards in Public Life bill is out for consultation – good governance, declarations of interest, transparency,” he said. “These are things we are committed to.”
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