Home Information Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information

As a public authority, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism is committed to openness, transparency and serving the public interest in compliance with the Freedom of Information Law, 2007.

The Freedom of Information (FOI) Law was passed on 19 October 2007 and came into effect on 1 January 2009. It gives the public a right of access to all types of records held by public authorities, but also sets out some exemptions from that right.

If you want to request information from the Cayman Islands Department Of Tourism, you should initially look at the Access to Information page on our website to see if the information you seek has already been published.

If you wish to make a request for information then you should contact our Information Manager or submit a request on-line at the FOI Unit website.

Requests must be in writing (request form, letter, email or facsimile) and must include your name and an address (either postal or e-mail). Please be as specific as possible about the information you would like, as this will help us to respond promptly. Where possible, please include a contact telephone number so we can call to discuss your request if necessary.

We will respond to your request promptly. The Law requires public authorities to respond within 30 calendar days, allowing an extension of an additional 30 calendar days if needed. We will always acknowledge receipt of FOI requests (where a contact email or mailing address is supplied) and we will let you know if we need to extend the deadline. For detailed advice on what sorts of information is exempt please see the FOI Unit website.

Classes of Information Held   

A Class of Information is a way of collecting together similar types of information. The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism has grouped its Classes of Information into broad categories (or functions) which reflect our outputs. If you are intending to make a request, please view our list of functions which should give you an indication of the information we hold. Click here to download the .PDF document.

Fees

There is no application fee and no fee for going to a public authority and looking at a record requested by FOI. However, a requestor may be required to pay copying or change of format fees. Details concerning costs and payment are contained in the FOI Regulations which are available on the FOI Unit website.

Appeals

Internal Review

If you make a request under the Freedom of Information Law and are not satisfied with our response, you are entitled to an internal review. If you believe you are entitled to an internal review, please put your appeal in writing and either e-mail or post it to the Information Manager. Include your name, address, telephone number and the reference number at the top of our initial reponse to you. You have 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of a refusal to request an internal review. Please explain why you would like us to review our original response.

Under section 33 of the FOI Law, you may ask for an Internal Review of a response to your request if any of the following things happened:

If you were refused access;
If you were granted partial access to the record(s) specified in your application;
If your request was deferred;
If there was a refusal to amend or annotate an official document containing personal information; or
If a fee was charged for action taken or if you disagree with the amount of the fee charged; where the decision was taken by a person other than the responsible Minister, Chief Officer or Principal Officer of the public authority.

Appeal to the Information Commissioner

If you are dissatisfied with the internal review of our decision, or an internal review was not available, you can seek an appeal from the Information Commissioner.

Mr Jan Liebaers
Acting Information Commissioner
2nd Floor, Elizabethan Square, Building C, George Town
P.O. Box 1375, Grand Cayman KY1-1108, CAYMAN ISLANDS
T: 345-747-5402
F: 345-949-2026
Email: appeals@ico.gov.ky
Website: www.infocomm.ky

FOI Contact

Information Manager: Amy Bothwell
Address: (Location): Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Ave, George Town
Mailing Address: Government Administration Building Box 134, Grand Cayman, KY1-9000
Telephone: (345) 949-0623
Fax: (345) 949-4053

To request information from the Department of Tourism, fill out the information request form.

Publication Schemes

Each public authority covered by the Freedom of Information Law has a legal duty to adopt and maintain a publication scheme in accordance with s. 5 of the FOI Law. The main purpose of a publication scheme is to make information readily available without the need for specific written requests. Schemes are intended to encourage organisations to publish proactively, and develop a greater culture of openness.

The Law states that Information to be published by public authorities includes:

The functions of the authority, what work it does and how it sets about its tasks
The departments and agencies of the authority
The subjects handled by each department or authority, with the locations of the departments and agencies and the opening hours of all offices
The title and business address of the Principal Officer and other key officers within the authority

Classes of records held

Manuals, interpretations, rules, guidelines, practices or precedents