Coillte’s conduct during FoI request review was ‘unacceptable’
She said Coillte’s conduct during a review by her office of an FoI request “fell far short” of what she considered to be acceptable.
The Health Service Executive also got rapped on the knuckles.
She noted Coillte, in particular, had adopted a position that it was a private limited company which was not under the control of any Government department.
Ms O’Reilly observed that Coillte did not seem to take any notice of a ruling by the European Court of Justice which rejected its perceived status as a private company.
Such an omission was “unacceptable at best” while she described the overall conduct of Coillte as “particularly unacceptable”.
The commissioner also criticised the behaviour of a company engaged in a wind farm project called Saorgus Energy, which was involved in the same FoI review.
The company had bought land near Loughrea, Co Galway from Coillte in 2001 to develop as a wind farm.
Ms O’Reilly said she found it difficult to comprehend how Saorgus, who was tendering for a contract administered by a public body, asked the Department of Communications not to release information to her office, especially after the company had been warned that its tender applications could be released under FoI legislation.
Meanwhile, she said it was “regrettable and disturbing” that the HSE had not acted on a commitment made 12 months ago to publish its reports on inspections of private nursing homes as a matter of routine.
“Some of our most vulnerable citizens are living in these places. The best way to protect them is by inspections and by publishing results of these inspections.”
