State bodies 'failing in their duty to give the public access to data'

Journalists and transparency advocates say accessing official information is a difficult and time-consuming task for them, let alone members of the public

'What chance does an ordinary citizen have if professional journalists and campaigners struggle to get [publicly-owned data] without resources and time?' asked John Devitt of Transparency International Ireland.

Concerns have been flagged by journalists and transparency campaigners that Ireland's Freedom of Information system is not fit for purpose.

A survey carried out by Sinn Féin's public expenditure spokesperson, Mairéad Farrell, found that 76% of the 25 respondents to the survey ranked the current system as "performing poorly". The respondents included journalists, activists, and political/legal staff.