A Code of Practice on Access to Information has been in place since April 1994. The first annual report of the Code has been released covering the first nine months of operation of the Code. A Select Committee on The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration visited Australia in 1995 with a view to investigating the Australian experience of FOI legislation,.in particular to determine the relative merits of statutory versus non-statutory schemes.
The Select Committee recommended in its second Report on Open Government in 1996 that the UK Parliament pass Freedom of Information legislation. The recently elected UK Labour Government in its Manifesto and by the comments of the new Prime Minister Tony Blair has committed itself to FOI legislation.
White Paper released December 1997. For an overview of the White Paper see the article by Sheridan and Snell.
Ireland
The Republic of Ireland has introduced a Freedom of Information Act . See the latest issue of the FoI Review for full details. The Act was passed on 10 April 1997. For a copy of the legislation see Irish Freedom of Information Act.
Hong Kong
A Pilot scheme of the Code on Access to Information has been in existence for the last few years.
Some of this information was reproduced from Access Reports, Freedom of Information. Volume 21, No 8, April 12 1995