FoI requests down 32% since fees started

FREEDOM of Information (FoI) requests have fallen by almost a third since former Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy introduced fees in mid-2003, a new report from the department has confirmed.

The Seventh Report on Freedom of Information, released yesterday, shows that 12,600 FoI requests were made in 2004, compared to over 18,400 the previous year.

According to Minister of State Tom Parlon, who launched the report, the number of requests made by the general public increased from 71% to 77% of all requests.