The Kyiv District Administrative Court obliged the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada to provide OPORA a copy of the manning table, which includes information about structural subdivisions of the VRU Apparatus, job titles, number of employees, and salaries for every position.
Civil Network OPORA applied to the Court because, on March 27, it had sent an information request to the Chairmen of the VRU Apparatus, asking to provide a copy of manning table, and received a refusal.
Olha Aivazovska, Electoral and Political Programs Coordinator of the OPORA, emphasized that openness and institutional independence of the Parliament is a standard of the legislative branch activities: "Taxpayers have the right to receive information about expenses of institutions, for which they provide money. The only way how the voters, journalists, civic activists may assess efficiency of such institution, by comparing expenses and final products. I think that a very little number of people, outside the Parliament, know how many people work in the Verkhovna Rada, and what are their responsibilities. In international practices, such information is promulgated, and citizens have free access to it.
When the case was considered by the Court, the Apparatus sent OPORA written objection against the lawsuit. The document contained explanation that the manning table of the Apparatus, including amounts of salaries for every position, "cannot belong to documents (acts) which were received or created by the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine when maintaining activities of the Parliament as the legislative government body," and that the manning table is "an internal organizational document which concerns employees of the Apparatus and operates within the corresponding body." It was also mentioned that personal information cannot be provided, despite OPORA didn't ask to provide any.
As long as officials and executives of the Apparatus receive salaries from the State Budget, the information about salaries of VRU employees can be classified as information about management of budget funds, possession, use or disposal of state and municipal property, and, therefore, it shall be open for access.
On July 8, the Kyiv District Administrative Court has ruled that refusal of the VRU Apparatus to provide OPORA a copy of manning table is unlawful. However, as long as the defendant has the right to appeal against Resolution of the Court during 10 days after receiving its copy, the Resolution has not entered into force yet.
