Access to Information Regulations

8 (1) Where a person is given access to a record or part thereof under the control of a government institution, the head of the institution may require that the person be given an opportunity to examine the record or part thereof, rather than a copy of the record or part thereof if,

• (a) the record or part thereof is so lengthy that reproduction of the record or part thereof would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the institution; or

• (b) the record or part thereof is in a form that does not readily lend itself to reproduction.

(1.1) Where a person is given access to a record or part thereof under the control of a government institution, the head of the institution shall provide the person with an opportunity to examine the record or part thereof, rather than with a copy of the record or part thereof, where providing a copy to that person is prohibited by or under another Act of Parliament.

(2) Where a person is given access to a record under the control of a government institution, the head of the institution may require that the person be given a copy of the record, rather than an opportunity to examine it if,

• (a) the record forms a disclosable part of a record for which disclosure may otherwise be refused under the Act and from which it cannot reasonably be severed for examination; or

• (b) the record is in a form that does not readily lend itself to examination.

(3) Where access to a record under the control of a government institution is given in the form of an opportunity to examine the record, the head of the government institution shall

• (a) provide reasonable facilities for the examination; and

• (b) set a time for the examination that is convenient both for the institution and the person.

(4) The head of a government institution shall not give a person who requests access to any record access thereto until that person has paid any fee or other amount or part thereof required to be paid under the Act and these Regulations in respect of that request.