Topic: FOI
Ombudsman orders release of legal aid spending in court case
The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the Judicial Administration to release records on how legal aid funds were spent in relation to a specific court case, information that is typically not made public.
Public boards, private practices: FOI reveals wide pay and governance gaps
A Compass open records investigation reveals wide disparity in pay, transparency and processes for Cayman's public boards, prompting calls for reform.
Internal inquiry recommends HSA board pay back some funds
Health Services Authority board members should be asked to repay stipends claimed for some meetings, an internal government investigation has recommended.
FOI shows sharp rise in HSA board meetings and pay
The Health Services Authority Board met 190 times in the space of 18 months and was paid almost half-a-million dollars during that time, according to information obtained by the Compass.
Government spent $55,000 on rejected electoral boundary report
Government had to foot a bill of CI$54,844.79 for the Electoral Boundary Commission's report which it subsequently rejected.
CUC seeks court order to block release of costs report
CUC is seeking court action to block the public release of a pair of reports containing details of its costs and the capacity of the Cayman Islands power grid to add new renewable energy.
Controversial sports tourism strategy targeted ‘prawn sandwich’ soccer fans
Cayman tourism officials were granted a host of free match tickets and hospitality perks as part of a controversial package of sponsorships of UK sports teams, according to unredacted documents released to the Compass under the Freedom of Information Act.
Tourism splashed $30K on hotels and flights to send support to troubled UK office
The Department of Tourism racked up more than $30,000 in hotel and air fares to send one of its senior officials to London to provide 'management support' amid controversy over its sports sponsorship strategy.
Tourism officials ordered to hand over sponsorship records to Compass
Department of Tourism officials have been ordered to hand over a cache of documents linked to its controversial sponsorship strategy, following a 20-month Freedom of Information battle with the Cayman Compass.
Hundreds sat permanent residency tests with inaccurate questions
At least 230 applicants for permanent residency in the Cayman Islands sat tests that contained inaccurate or out of date questions, an open records inquiry by the Cayman Compass has revealed.
Compass Investigation: Sun, sea and suspect sponsorships
The Cayman Islands spent half-a-million dollars on sports sponsorships for UK teams, including $30,000 for an obscure field hockey team linked to its regional manager for UK and Europe, a Compass investigation has revealed.
Tourism officials defend sports sponsorship strategy
Tourism officials have defended a marketing strategy of sponsoring British sports teams amid concerns raised by a Compass investigation, which revealed Cayman was sponsoring an amateur field hockey team linked to one of its own directors.
Ombudsman orders Labour Tribunal to release five years of decisions
Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston has ordered Cayman’s Labour Tribunal to release the records of unfair dismissal decisions it has made over the last five years, following a Freedom of Information appeal.
EDITORIAL – Freedom of Information a poor substitute for free flow of information
Government service is different from private sector employment. It is not work done for profit, product or pure self-interest. It is work undertaken on the people’s behalf, using the people’s money, to preserve society’s common interests.
Premier claims release of ‘Ritch Report’ on immigration not in public interest
Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin, citing a never-before-used section of the Freedom of Information Law.
Deadline passes for permanent residence FOI challenge
An immigration consultant’s report presented to government earlier this year which was the subject of an open records request by the Cayman Compass had not been given to the information commissioner’s office by the deadline of Friday, Dec. 2.
FOI requests at lowest level since law came into force
The number of requests made under the Freedom of Information Law, giving the public access to government records, is at the lowest level since the law came into effect in 2009, according to a new report from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Liebaers: ‘It’s Yours, Just Ask!’
It is all too easy to forget that government works for the people, and that information held by public authorities should be open and accessible, either proactively or upon request.
EDITORIAL – Broken record: Officials must obey FOI Law
“We now have an open government,” said Deputy Governor Franz Manderson back in September 2013, declaring that the Cayman Islands’ Freedom of Information Law was a success.
Ministry’s open records response ‘verged on obstruction’
The Cayman Islands Information Commissioner’s Office said Friday that it will make a formal report to the deputy governor’s office alleging that government officials verged on a “complete denial” of a Freedom of Information applicant’s rights under the law and constitution after it took nearly two years for an FOI request for records related to the local pensions investment laws to be resolved.
Government sought $108 per hour charge for FOI request
The Cayman Islands Information Commissioner has rejected an attempt by the government to charge an individual $108 per hour so a civil service department could recover public records the person sought via a Freedom of Information request.
Operation Tempura records released
More than four years after the initial open records request was filed for the documents, Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick’s office has released two controversial reports, sought by a retired U.K. journalist, related to the ill-fated Operation Tempura corruption investigation.
