Investigation into Ministry of Education's management of OIA requests about proposed school closures

Under section 13(3) of the Ombudsmen Act I decided to conduct an investigation into matters that have been publicly raised relating to the Ministry of Education’s management of requests for information about the proposed closure of some Christchurch schools.

The three specific matters that are the subject of my investigation are as follows:-

1. That the Ministry advised the Christchurch City Council to refuse a request for official information on the basis that the information was not held by the Council when the Ministry knew that it was held.

2. That the Ministry advised a requester to withdraw a request for official information, suggesting that if he did so he would receive the information sooner.

3. That a number of requests for official information were refused, at least in part, on the basis that the information concerned would eventually be made public in any case.