Dear Sir,

We refer to your email dated 1 May 2015.

The total number of requests received under the Code on Access to
Information (“the Code”) since its introduction in March 1995 and up to
the end of December 2014 amounted to 44,908.  Of these, 2,563 requests
were subsequently withdrawn by the requestors and 2,033 requests covered
cases in which the bureaux/departments concerned did not hold the
requested information.  As at December 31, 2014, 103 requests were still
being processed by bureaux/departments.

Among the 40,209 requests which covered information held by
bureaux/departments and which the bureaux/departments had responded to,
39,265 requests (97.7 per cent) were met, either in full (38,421 requests)
or in part (844 requests), and 944 requests (2.3 per cent) were refused.

During the period from January 2012 to December 2014, a total of 241
requests for information were refused.  A breakdown of the 241 cases by
reasons for refusal is as follows:

Reason for refusal No. of times quoted
(relevant paragraph of the Code)
Defence and security (paragraph 2.3) 4
External affairs (paragraph 2.4) 7
Nationality, immigration and consular matters 2
(paragraph 2.5)
Law enforcement, legal proceedings and public safety 27
(paragraph 2.6)
Management and operation of the public service 20
(paragraph 2.9)
Internal discussion and advice (paragraph 2.10) 18
Public employment and public appointments (paragraph 3
2.11)
Improper gain or advantage (paragraph 2.12) 2
Research, statistics and analysis (paragraph 2.13) 17
Third party information (paragraph 2.14) 91
Privacy of the individual (paragraph 2.15) 47
Business affairs (paragraph 2.16) 23
Premature requests (paragraph 2.17) 4
Legal restrictions (paragraph 2.18) 26

Note: The total number of refusal cases is exceeded by the total number of
times the reasons for refusal are quoted, as there may be more than one
reason to refuse a request.

Please be informed that we do not have further breakdowns of the numbers
of requests fully met, partially met and refused by department and by time
period.

Mr Brian CHIU
(for Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs)

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Thank you very much for the message. The content has been noted. We shall
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多謝閣下的電子郵件，內容備悉。如有需要，我們會盡快作出回覆。(注意: 這是電腦
自動發出的回覆信息。 如閣下未曾向本局寄發電子郵件，請以電郵通知本局，並不必
理會以上的回覆。)

Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau
政制及內地事務局

Dear Sir,

We refer to your email dated 14 May 2015.

During the period from January 2012 to December 2014, a total of 241
requests for information made under the Code on Access to Information were
refused by bureaux and departments.  The bureaux/departments involved and
statistical data on reasons for refusal are provided in the attached file.

Brian CHIU
(for Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs)

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