Public Access To SHG Information

On 1 September 2014 SHG introduced a Code of Practice for Public Access to SHG Information.                


Listed below is information that has so far been made available to the public under the Code of Practice:

Code of Practice

St Helena Government (SHG) already provides accurate and timely information to the public in many ways – including through routine publishing of public information and by interaction with the media – as part of open and transparent Government.

Where information held by SHG is not already in the public domain, the general public can already, and does, make various requests to St Helena Government for information, and such requests are normally dealt with by the relevant Directorate.

1 September 2014 saw SHG streamlining this approach, offering a central point of enquiry – under its new Code of Practice for Public Access to SHG Information.

The Code draws on access to information policies and legislation in the UK (e.g. FOI) and other island states.

The Code deals with public requests for SHG information where that information is not already available by other means.  So, the code does not replace the handling of routine requests from the public or the media by telephone, by e-mail or face to face, etc. These routine day to day requests to Government will continue to be dealt with simply and quickly through the normal channels.

But where members of the public wish to see information held by SHG, where it is not already available by other means – then they can from today make a request under the new Code of Practice for Public Access to SHG Information.

St Helena Government’s presumption will be for disclosure, and information will be provided unless one or more of the Exceptions in the Code applies.  Again, these Exceptions draw on UK and international best practice, and they are important because St Helena Government, like all Governments, recognises that it does need to respect confidentiality between parties and has a duty to protect privacy and certain information.

The Code applies to all information held with proprietary rights by SHG, regardless of who produced or supplied the information and subject to the Exceptions listed in the Code.  The Code requires all SHG employees dealing with requests to ensure that any request received from the public for information and made under the Code of Practice for Public Access to SHG Information, is dealt with in compliance with the Code.

All requests for SHG information made under the Code of Practice, should be sent, in writing, directly to the Executive Manager Corporate Services, SHG, at the Castle, or by e-mail to:  information.request@sainthelena.gov.sh