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(4)
case referred to in paragraph (2)(7). In so far as the document contains information
on deliberations referred to in chapter 1, section 7 of the Code of Judicial
Procedure, access to it shall be subject to the permission of the authority.
A person whose standing to appeal a decision is based on membership of a
municipality or any other corporation shall have access to the decision by virtue of
this section only in so far as it is in the public domain.
Section 12 — Access to a document pertaining to the individual
Unless otherwise provided in an Act, every individual shall have the right of access
to information contained in an official document and pertaining to themselves,
subject to the restrictions provided in section 11(2) and (3).
Chapter 4 — Granting access to a document
Section 13 — Request for access to a document
(1) A request for access to an official document shall be sufficiently detailed, so that the
authority can determine which document the request concerns. The person
requesting access shall be assisted, by means of official diaries and indexes, to
specify the document to which access is being requested. The person requesting
access need not identify himself/herself nor provide reasons for the request, unless
this is necessary for the exercise of the authority’s discretion or for determining if
the person requesting access has the right of access to the document.
(2) When requesting access to a secret document, a personal data filing system
controlled by an authority or any other document, access to which can be granted
only subject to certain conditions, the person requesting access shall, unless
specifically otherwise provided, declare the use to which the information is to be
put, as well as give the other details necessary for determining whether the
conditions have been met and, where necessary, explain what arrangements have
been made for the protection of the information.
Section 14 — Decision on access
(1) Unless otherwise provided, the decision to grant access to an official document
shall be made by the authority in possession of the document. The decision to grant
access to a document commissioned by an authority or to a document issued in
connection with a task performed on commission by any other authority shall be
made by the commissioning authority, unless otherwise required by the nature of
the commission.
(2) Access to the contents of a document shall be granted by an official or employee
who has been so designated by the authority or to whom the task otherwise belongs
by virtue of his/her office or duties.
(3) If the official or the other person referred to in paragraph (2) refuses to grant the
requested access, he/she shall
(1) inform the person requesting access of the reason for the refusal;
(2) inform the person requesting access that he/she may have the matter decided
by the authority;
(3) ask a person who has filed a written request for access whether he/she wishes
to have the matter forwarded to that authority; and
(4) inform the person requesting access of the charges involved in the
consideration of the request.
(4) A matter referred to in this section shall be considered without delay, and access to
a document in the public domain shall be granted as soon as possible, and in any
event within two weeks from the date when the authority received the request for
the document. If the number of the requested documents is large, if they contain
secret parts or if there is any other comparable reason for the consideration and the
decision of the matter requiring special measures or otherwise an irregular amount
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