Bid to change FoI Bill sparks anger in Seanad

THERE were angry scenes in the Seanad last night as the Government sought to push controversial changes to the Freedom of Information Act through the Oireachtas.

Fine Gael Senator Jim Higgins said it was outrageous that the Bill was being “rammed” through the national legislature without proper debate or consultation. “The utter contempt of the Government for people with intelligence by portraying these changes as being in the public interest is matched only by the manner in which the Bill has been brought before the Seanad today,” he said. Labour Party chief whip in the Seanad, Senator Kathleen O’Meara, said the Bill was a total assault on the concepts of openness, transparency and accountability in government which were contained in the original legislation.

The proposed changes follow a series of media reports based on documents obtained under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act which have proved highly embarrassing for the Government.