Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of freedom of information requirements in the British Virgin Islands; and what plans he has to promote transparency in that territory.

Freedom of information policy in the Virgin Islands is the responsibility of the government of the Virgin Islands. As such, the Governor announced the Virgin Islands Government’s intention to introduce a Freedom of Information Bill and a Data Protection Bill in the Speech from the Throne of 10 November 2014.

The Governor again underlined the importance of Open Government as the ‘foundation stone to a modern democracy’ at the swearing-in ceremony of the new Government on 10 June 2015. Discussion between the Governor and the elected Government continues on a range of Open Government and transparency initiatives.

The 2012 White Paper states our commitments on working with the governments of the Overseas Territories on improving transparency and accountability. We are supporting these governments in moving towards systems of open government through sharing best practice and capacity building. This is a devolved area of competence and it is for Territory governments to develop a system that meets their particular requirements and circumstances.