Estonia rejects public disclosure of officials’ leave dates

Estonia’s Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs says the current Public Information Act does not clearly allow authorities to publish officials’ leave dates and replacement details on their websites, ERR reported.

The Ministry of Finance asked whether authorities could publish information about an employee’s leave together with the details of the person replacing them.

“The purpose of the change would be to inform the public about how a public authority is organised, ensuring communication with state and local government institutions is as efficient and free of bureaucracy as possible,” said Karin Madisson, deputy secretary general for administrative policy at the Ministry of Finance.

However, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs said an employee’s absence on leave constitutes personal data. Publishing it on a government website would interfere with the person’s privacy and would require a sufficiently clear legal basis, including a defined purpose and scope, Deputy Secretary General Heddi Lutterus said.

Authorities may still publish information about whom to contact when the usual contact person is unavailable, Lutterus said. In that case, the focus is on ensuring the authority’s work and services continue, rather than on the employee’s private information.

Several authorities already publish replacement contact details without specifying the reason for, or length of, the employee’s absence, she added. Other options include publishing only the replacement contact or the general contact details of the relevant department, or requiring employees to name a replacement and include that information in their email auto-replies.

The ministry said that although a legal basis for publishing officials’ leave details could be established, effective communication with authorities can be ensured through less intrusive measures. It therefore does not consider an amendment to the Public Information Act necessary.