Act of 31 October 1991, containing regulations governing public access to government information We Beatrix, by the grace of God, Queen of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, etc., etc., etc. Greetings to all who shall see or hear these presents! Be it known: Whereas We have considered that, in view of Article 110 of the Constitution, it has proved desirable, in the interests of effective, democratic governance, to amend the rules concerning openness and public access to government information and to incorporate these rules in statute law wherever possible; We, therefore, having heard the Council of State, and in consultation with the States General, have approved and decreed as We hereby approve and decree: Chapter I. Definitions Section 1 The definitions employed in this Act and the provisions deriving from it shall be as follows: a. document: a written document or other material containing data which is deposited with an administrative authority; b. administrative matter: a matter of relevance to the policies of an administrative authority, including the preparation and implementation of such policies; c. internal consultation: consultation concerning an administrative matter within an administrative authority or within a group of administrative authorities in the framework of their joint responsibility for an administrative matter; d. independent advisory committee: a committee appointed by the government to advise one or more administrative authorities, the members of which do not include any civil servants who advise the administrative authority to which they are responsible on the subjects put before the committee. A civil servant who is the secretary or an advisory member of such a committee shall not be regarded as a member for the purposes of this provision; e. civil service or mixed advisory committee: a committee responsible for advising one or more administrative authorities, which is composed partly or wholly of civil servants whose duties include advising the administrative authority to which they are responsible on the subjects put before the committee. f. personal opinion on policy: an opinion, proposal, recommendation or conclusion of one or more persons concerning an administrative matter and the arguments they advance in support thereof; g. environmental information: all information available in written, visual, auditive or digital form concerning the condition of water, air, soil, fauna, flora, agricultural land and nature reserves; concerning activities, including activities causing nuisance such as noise, and measures which have or probably will have an adverse affect on these; and concerning relevant protective activities and measures, including measures under administrative law and environmental protection programmes. Section 1a 1. This Act shall apply to the following administrative authorities: a. Our Ministers;