Why Should People Ask Questions?

It is a common opinion that requests for information to government bodies are quite useless since no reply will come. This is wrong. Laws support applicants’ rights, though official structures often unwillingly provide unpleasant information. For example, the IIFD’s request on food quality tests has lately been replied.

Having learnt from a public speech of the Chair of the St.-Petersburg Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policies, and Trade that in 2009 the Committee’s inspections found that stores were selling food non-compliant to quality and safety standards, Iraida Zakharevich, an IIFD researcher, requested details from the Committee.

For her first request, she got a reply that the data were available at the Committee’s official website. But no information who had produced the low-quality food was found there.

The request was repeated. This time, the reply included detailed tables listing what producers were informed on quality norms violated, and what specific goods were addressed. Many food brands well-known in St.-Petersburg appeared in the list.

A question can enable access to very interesting and useful information – if this question is asked.