FoI appeal costs to be cut

The Government has admitted that the cost of appealing Freedom of Information (FoI) requests is a “deterrent” to accessing data from public bodies.

It has pledged to reduce the “very high levels” of fees for appealing decisions from €75 and €150 to €30 and €50 as part of its “commitment to greater openness, transparency, and accountability”.

Brendan Howlin, the reform minister, yesterday announced details of the extension of the FoI Act agreed by Cabinet on Tuesday.

The legislation is expected to be passed through the Oireachtas in the autumn, allowing the public to access information from a number of public bodies previously entirely outside of the scope of the act including:

* An Garda Síochána for its administrative records, subject to security exemptions; nPublic financial bodies, including Nama, except in cases where it would breach confidentiality of engagement with commercial counterparts;

* The Central Bank, subject to the ECB’s approval.

Several public bodies with regulatory, quasi-judicial, and investigative functions will no longer be excluded from the scope of the act, including VECs, bar a few exceptions; the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner; and the Refugee Applications Tribunal.

The Cabinet also agreed to extend the ombudsman’s jurisdiction to all public bodies.