By Vanessa James
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – Parliamentary secretary in the ministry of education, skills, youth and information, senator Marlon Morgan, has announced that cabinet will determine the course of action in reforming the Access to Information (ATI) Act. He made the disclosure while delivering remarks at a public forum on ‘Enhancing Transparency: Examining the Access to Information Act and its Reform’, organised by Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday.
Senator Morgan shared that while work on reforming the 2002 legislation was previously conducted by a Joint Select Committee of Parliament in 2011, the ministry is now at a critical juncture to refresh those findings.
“While recommendations emerged from that [Joint Select Committee], we have also had the passage of time. The first indication the Ministry is seeking to give is that that matter of reforming the Access to Information Act is a determination that cabinet is going to make as it relates to how we’re approaching it,” he said.
Senator Morgan noted that due to the extended passage of time, certain recommendations from the 2011 report may have become outdated, requiring refinement to align with recent global developments.
“This is a critical juncture… to effect a review, and the ministry, at this time, is far advanced in relation to its review and consideration of the various exhortations – in some instances the various comments and the various position papers, including [from] the JFJ,” the parliamentary secretary said. He added that the ministry’s review will build on the recommendations from the 2011 Joint Select Committee report, with the aim of addressing the identified implementation challenges.
The senator emphasised that the review is particularly timely, given the passing of the Data Protection Act by government in 2020, which became fully effective in 2023.
“Based on the passage of time, the dynamism… of the ATI regime globally, and the newly introduced Data Protection regime, as well as international developments in terms of best practices pertaining to ATI reform, it is an opportune time to revisit the access to information framework to ensure it works effectively, fairly and transparently to protect citizens’ right to information, and strengthen governance,” he said.
Senator Morgan stated that the Access to Information Unit is set to intensify its operational improvements during fiscal year 2026/27. He highlighted that ongoing training will be provided to officers to reduce backlogs, improve proactive disclosures, and make online information more useful. The training will also focus on implementing best practices from the requester’s perspective, deploying technology to streamline ATI processing, and enhancing service excellence in the delivery of access to information.
“As stakeholders can appreciate and agree, building institutional capacity and continuing to sensitise ATI responsible officers are critical and indispensable in building the culture we envisage… a culture where ATI is taken seriously, not just in talk, but… in action,” senator Morgan stated. To further improve stakeholder satisfaction and ensure public education on the ATI Act, he outlined several initiatives that the ATI Unit plans to implement.
These include continued education and engagement with the public through various media, community and school initiatives; launching a new ATI website in 2026; creating an online space for ATI stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing, which will go live by the end of March; and developing an ATI institutional report card framework to measure performance against certain metrics.
Additionally, during the first quarter of 2026, the ATI Unit will finalise the draft for the Access to Information Act Advisory Committee framework. This outline will be submitted to portfolio minister, senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, for approval and is intended to facilitate ongoing engagement between the government and civil society stakeholders on ATI reforms and operational issues.
Senator Morgan reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ATI reform, to not only strengthen the legal framework, but also improve access to information by increasing transparency, good governance, governmental accountability, and public participation in national decision-making.
