The Information Commissioner’s Office, where members of the public can examine the Public Access to Information (Pati) Act as well as finding out how to file a Pati request, is extending its hours of operation on Wednesdays.

Information Commissioner Gitanjali Gutierrez explained that the office would be open until 7.00pm in order to “accommodate members of the public who may not be able to reach the office during regular business hours.”

Usual business hours on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (from 9.00am to 5.00pm) will remain the same, and on Fridays, it will be open from 9.00am to 4.30pm.

“Our staff have discussed how to best accommodate individuals whose work schedules or location make it difficult to come into Hamilton, access the resources in our office on a drop-in basis, and then return to their commitments during a break in their day,” stated Ms Gutierrez. “We have agreed to extend our hours on Wednesday evenings so people can come in from the East or West End after work, and so people also do not have to use their lunch break to visit our office unless they want to.

“They may come to find out how and where to file a Pati request, want to learn more generally about the Public Access to Information (Pati) Act, or want to make arrangements for our staff to present an educational programme to their group.”

The office has a collection of all of the Information Statements published by public authorities. These statements describe the records the public authorities hold and the contact information for submitting a Pati request to various authorities.

Staff are also available to explain how the Pati request process works, how to ask the Information Commissioner for an independent review, and what the exemptions (legitimate reasons a public authority can refuse access) in the Pati Act mean.

The office is located on Parliament Street, near the former Police Station.