• During the nine months since the new law on transparency came into force, INE has received 1010 requests for information.

The National Statistics Institute (INE-Chile) has received more than a thousand requests for information (RFI) through the system on transparency and access to information since its beginning in April 2009. The delivery of free databases to academic institutions and non-profit entities accounts for one third of these requirements. In turn, cartography, either digital or printed, represents 28%.

After nine months of operation, 100% of the RFIs has been successfully managed by the Marketing Department (Unidad de Comercialización), which is responsible not only to give answers, but also to guide users to obtain the requested information. Responses to RFI take no longer than 8 days, on average, and in some cases an answer is provided within 24 hours.

Putting into effect the Law 20,285 called for the definition of reproduction costs: a fee of 800 Chilean pesos was established for digital information, while a duplicate or photocopy for students was priced at 25 Chilean pesos.

This initiative was implemented with the purpose of improving mechanisms through which citizens can access public information. It is important to note that any person can access INE surveys, without explaining the purpose for which the data is needed. The following surveys are available for consultation:

- First Survey on Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs), 2006.
- Census of Housing and Population in Redatam format: 1992 and 2002.
- Annual Industrial Survey: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.
- National Employment Survey, from 1996 to date (last quarter published).
- National Census of Agriculture: 1997 and 2007.
- Family Budget Survey: 1997 and 2007.
- Survey on Supplementary Income: 1990 to 2008.

Bartolomé Payeras, in charge of responding to the transparency requests, says that the volume of requests has exceeded expectations and that the professionalism of his team, along with its commitment with the institution, has made it possible to adapt to citizens’ demands.

Law 20,285

The Law No. 20,285 on Transparency and Access to Public Information compels state and autonomous entities, such as municipalities, to publish on their web sites and update -on monthly basis- information about its organizational structure; responsibilities, duties and powers of its units; permanent staff, employees engaged under service contracts (a contrata) and professionals subject to service payments (honorarios) with appropriate wages and salaries, among other data.