The Office of the Ombudsmen says some parts of the public service have been deliberately delaying responses to Official Information Act requests.
In the office's Annual Report to Parliament, Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem said the practice was unacceptable and subverts the purpose of the legislation.
Ms Wakem said the Office had observed an increasing tendency to delay responses until the complainants' interest in the matter had passed.
She said she hoped there will be a considerable improvement in how government departments and ministerial offices deal with requests.
