论制定香港信息公开法

香港政府的信息公开工作是以一部《公开资料守则》(以下简称《守则》)作为基础制度展开整个公开透明框架。这部颁布于1995年的政府内部指引因没有法律效力、涵盖范围狭隘、没有提供救济等问题广受诟病,制定信息公开法和档案法的呼声在香港日益高涨。从经验借鉴的视角看,香港制定《守则》时的参照国——具有浓厚保密行政传统的英国已顺应国内立法呼声而制定了信息公开立法;从实践必要性的角度看,香港过去几年实践经验表明,在缺少一部信息公开立法的情况下,香港民众通过民主手段获取资料的成本更高,耗时更久;从理论正当性的角度看,香港公民享有正当的知情权,而政府具有通过立法保障该权利的责任。因此,香港信息公开法的出台具有必要性和正当性。

On Hong Kong Information Disclosure Law Enactment

Based on the Code on Access to Information, the Hong Kong government carries out its information disclosure work as well as the entire disclosure and transparency framework. However, because of legal effect and relief absence and the narrow scope, this governmental internal guideline promulgated in 1995 is widely criticized, causing rising voice of the enactment of an information disclosure law and an archives act in Hong Kong. From the angle of experience reference, the U.K., the reference state when Hong Kong enacted the Code, which has a strong tradition of administration secrecy, has already enacted its information disclosure law complying with the domestic legislation voice. From the angle of practical necessity, under the circumstances of such information disclosure law absence, to obtain information through democratic means wastes the Hong Kong people more cost and longer time in the past years. And from the angle of theoretical legitimacy, the Hong Kong people have the legitimate right to know and thus the government has the obligation to guarantee the right in way of legislation. Therefore, it is necessary and legitimate for the enactment of Hong Kong information disclosure law.