Government agrees to reviews of planning laws and FOI
Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath said the FOI review is needed to take account of new forms of communication.
The Government has agreed to reviews of both planning laws and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
Public Expenditure and Reform Minister Michael McGrath said that while he is happy to review the FOI legislation, he has found it to be "robust and effective". He said the review is needed to take account of new forms of communication.
"Since the current FOI legislation was enacted in 2014, we have witnessed major innovations in communications technology," said Mr McGrath.
"While these have been broadly positive, they have transformed the ways in which individuals and public bodies interact with each other and it therefore represents a challenge to the existing FOI system.
"It is for this reason that a comprehensive review of the FOI framework is timely.
Separately, Cabinet also agreed to a widescale review of the planning legislation. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the planning process has become "overly complicated and difficult to navigate, contributing to significant delays and additional costs in the delivery of housing".
“When we published Housing for All earlier in the month, I reiterated my view that housing is the single most urgent and important social issue facing our country at this time and that I am determined that we as a Government get to grips with it," he said.
"Our planning laws need a complete overhaul to meet the ambition outlined in Housing for All."
A Government statement said that the review is "of an unprecedented scale, using experts in planning law under the supervision of the Attorney General, to improve our planning laws".
