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Health and Community Services
Executive Council
November 20, 2012

Online Annual Reports Heighten Openness and Transparency

The regulatory bodies governing regulated health professions will soon be required to post their annual reports online for public viewing when the legislation governing these professions is amended. The Annual Report Amendment Act received Second Reading in the House of Assembly today.

“Our government is fully committed to ensuring openness, transparency and accountability to each and every resident of the province,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services. “Amending the current legislation regarding the mandatory posting of annual reports will guarantee the general public has access to information regarding the operations and activities of the governing bodies for each of the regulated health professions on a timely and regular basis.”

Under the current legislation, the regulatory body of each health profession must prepare and submit an annual report on its activities to the Minister of Health and Community Services each year. The amendments to this legislation will now require each health profession to post its annual report on its own website, if one exists, and on the website of the Department of Health and Community Services.

“The proactive disclosure of information relating to health profession regulatory bodies reflects this administration’s commitment to openness and transparency,” said the Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development and Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement. “By adopting this requirement we are increasing the public’s accessibility to important information relating to these professions. It is also in keeping with an important function of the new Office of Public Engagement to identify information that is commonly requested that does not contain sensitive information and making it more publicly available.”

The Transparency and Accountability Act requires all Provincial Government departments and entities to make their annual reports public through effective methods, including electronically. Requiring the governing bodies of regulated health professions to do the same is consistent with this obligation. The Department of Health and Community Services is responsible for 17 statutes that regulate 23 health professions in the province.

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Media contacts:

Jennifer Tulk
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 699-6524
JenniferTulk@gov.nl.ca
Scott Barfoot
Director of Communications
Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development
709-729-4570, 690-6290
scottbarfoot@gov.nl.ca

2012 11 20                      5:05 p.m.

 
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