Watchdog attacks bastions of secrecy in public service

Ireland’s Ombudsman has attacked bastions of secrecy inside the public service who, he said, were resisting right-to-know laws.

Peter Tyndall, who took over from Emily O’Reilly last December, said that some public servants — who grew up in “the old days” — were holding out against moves towards openness.

The information commissioner, who is charged with overseeing freedom of information (FOI), also voiced his fears about public services escaping scrutiny because they had been handed over to private operators.