The Parliamentary Committee of Supply today approved $40 Million for the Office of the Commissioner of Information, with more than 75% of that sum being paid as salary to the Commissioner himself, Retired Court of Appeal Judge Charles Ramson Snr. 

While considering the 2026 budget estimates today, Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul stated that over the last five years the office of the Commissioner of Information received more than $90M, but there is no evidence to show what work was done.

Mahipaul told the Committee that the Commissioner of Information has failed to provide any report and has also failed to respond to requests for information. Against that backdrop he asked for the Budget for the office of the Commissioner of information to be significantly reduced.

“Here we are requesting an additional $40M. Sir in view of the answer provided earlier by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and taking note of the Commissioner of Information not satisfying what is expected that is not report for over 10 years, nothing to Parliament to scrutiny, no proof of any work being done, would  the Honourable Minister and her side support a reduction in the allocation of the sum to the Office of the Commissioner of Information to $1,” Mahipaul questioned.

Minister Teixeira said she would not support a cutting of the allocation for the Commisisoner of Information.

“I would hate to cut anybody’s budget and therefore I would not support you in anyway in cutting the Commissioner of Information’s budget to $1. However, it must be noted that the Commission works under the Access to information Act and it clearly states what his role is and what people can do and what they can’t ask and what they can and I have seen a lot of information in the media but the number 1 rule is that once information is being publicly being available then the Commissioner of Information don’t have much to do with one,” Minister Teixeira noted.

Late last year, members of Civil society and some members of the media protested the office of the Commissioner of Information, saying that request for critical information has gone unanswered.

But Minister Teixeira told the Parliamentary Committee that the Commissioner receives an average of about six requests per month and all of those requests have been honoured.

Meanwhile, APNU Parliamentary lead Dr. Terrence Campbell, asked for a breakdown on how the $40M will be spent, to which the Minister confirmed that most of it will go to the salary of the Commissioner of Information.

“The $40m includes the Commissioner of Information salary, as well as his vacation allowance, his gratuity, chauffeur allowance and NIS and the total of that comes to $33.5 and there is $6.4M that will bring it up to $40M which relates to the secretariat. He has one staff and the secretariat administrative costs,” the Minister explained.

Ramson was reappointed Commissioner of Information by the current Government.

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