Kenny says Govt 'strangling' FoI

Fine Gael's Enda Kenny has claimed the Government broke its own recommendations when it drew up the regulations introducing fees for freedom of information requests and says the coalition is "strangling" the Act..

Deputy Kenny was cited a letter to the Department of Finance from the Director General of the Office of the Information Commissioner, Pat Whelan.

In this Mr Whelan expressed his Office's unhappiness about the way the Regulations were made.

There was no advance consultation with the Information Commissioner, despite the fact that appeals to the Commissioner will now cost €150.

Mr Whelan also states that "critical points of good practice" identified in the Taoiseach's own "Towards Better Regulation" document were not acted on in making the FoI Regulations.

"This latest revelation is yet another indication that the FF/PD Government is intent on strangling the operation of the Freedom of Information Act.

"As a result of the changes introduced by this Government the FOI Act will be dead and buried by the end of 2003," claimed Deputy Kenny.

The total number of FOI requests for all departments in the three months following the enactment of the curtailed FOI Act was 29% down on the previous three months from 1,767 request as against 2,498.