Govt urged to reduce fees charged for FoI appeals

The Information Commissioner has called on the Government to reduce some of the fees it charges for obtaining official documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

At present, it costs €15 to make an initial request under the legislation, €75 to seek an internal review if the request is rejected and €150 to lodge an appeal with the Information Commissioner.

Emily O'Reilly said today that she would like to see the fees for reviews and appeals to be brought into line with other jurisdictions which either do not charge or have a nominal fee.

She also says fees should be refunded in the event of a successful appeal and that some of the restrictions to FoI legislation introduced in 2003 should be removed.