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Right to Access Information Act
2013
PART IV–MEASURES TO PROMOTE OPENNESS
Maintenance
of records.
27. (1) Every public authority shall record and maintain
records of its activities in a manner that facilitates the right to
information, as provided for in this Act, and in accordance with the
Code of Practice referred to in subsection (2).
(2) The Commission shall, after consultation with
interested parties, issue and from time to time update a Code of Practice
relating to the keeping, management and disposal of records, as well
as the transfer of records to public archives.
(3) The Commission shall cause to be established a
documentation centre to reflect and promote the history and culture
of the State.
Appointment
and training
of public
information
officers.
28. (1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), a public authority
shall appoint as many public information officers in all offices or
units as they have at the local, district, provincial and national levels
as is necessary to enable it to provide information to persons
requesting information under this Act.
(2) Where for any reason, a public authority has not
appointed a public information officer, the head of the public authority
shall for purposes of this Act, be deemed to be the public information
officer of that public authority.
(3) A public information officer shall be the principal
contact person within a public authority to deal with requests from
persons seeking information from the public authority.
(4) A public information officer shall be of sufficient rank
within the public authority to be empowered to make binding decisions
in relation to information disclosure under this Act.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (3), it is the duty of every
official to provide reasonable assistance to a person seeking
information under this Act and no official may refuse to receive a
request for information on the ground only that the official is not a
public information officer.
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Right to Access Information Act
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(6) An official other than a public information officer to
whom a request for information is made under subsection (5), shall
refer the person seeking information to a public information officer
and, if no officer is immediately available, the official shall receive the
request and shall ensure that it is forwarded to the appropriate public
information officer, who shall also issue a receipt for the request,
indicating on it the official’s name, date and designation of receiving
the request.
(7) A public information officer may seek the assistance
of any other official that the officer considers necessary for the proper
discharge of the officer’s duties, and the other official shall render
the required assistance.
29. Public authorities shall develop, for the purposes of this
Act, information communication technology units in accordance with
the national information communication technology policy of Sierra
Leone, to–
Development
of information communication
facilities.
(a) facilitate access to information;
(b) ensure transparency and accountability;
(c) improve record keeping;
PARTV–ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
30. (1) There is hereby established a body to be known as
the Commission.
(2) The Commission shall be a body corporate having
perpetual succession, capable of acquiring, holding and disposing
of property, being sued in its corporate name and subject to this Act
of performing all functions as bodies corporate may by law perform.
(3) The Commission shall have a common seal the use of
which shall be authunticated by the signatures of the Chairperson
and any other member of the Commission generally or specifically
authorised by the Commission for that purpose.
Establishment
of Commission.