Headline: EQC stonewalling on information sparks official investigation
The chief ombudsman, in conjunction with the privacy commissioner, is to launch an investigation into the Earthquake Commission’s handling of official information requests, Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson, Lianne Dalziel, revealed in Parliament today.
In a letter to former Christchurch resident, Brent Hamlin, chief ombudsman, Dame Beverley Wakem, said she would conduct the investigation because of EQC’S ‘continued inability to comply with its obligations under the Official Information Act and Privacy Act’.
Mr Hamlin had struggled for six months to obtain information that should have been available in 20 working days.
In tabling the letter in Parliament today, Lianne Dalziel said that the real tragedy was that this was all avoidable.
“Labour MPs have been calling for information to be freely available to affected residents right from the outset. It is ridiculous that people are told they need to use the Official Information Act when a quick phone call would do.
“Mr Hamlin’s is not an isolated case. More than 2000 New Zealanders have signed an on-line petition calling on the Minister, Gerry Brownlee, to urgently amend the EQC claims management process.
“The petition notes an almost complete lack of communication from EQC, and points out that what little information is available is generally inconsistent, incorrect, or that people have to wait months for an Official Information Request to get the information needed to make an informed decision on the future of their homes.
“Mr Brownlee says he is unaware of the petition, that EQC has a 40 per cent staff turnover in the section that deals with OIA requests and that he could not remember exactly when he was advised the ombudsman was initiating an inquiry.
“That is not good enough. The buck stops with Mr Brownlee and he must take responsibility for this.
“He has known for months that taking 6 to 7 months to answer OIA requests means EQC is not complying with the Official Information Act, and yet he has done nothing. He can’t remember when EQC told him the Ombudsman was going to commence an investigation.
“EQC is not above the law and neither is the Minister.
“Mr Hamlin only invoked his rights under the Official Information Act because he had been stonewalled so many times.”
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