FOI bill concerns must be tackled

THE Freedom of Information Bill 2013 currently at committee stage in the Oireachtas is to be welcomed in terms of its reversal of many of the 2003 amendments, the effect of which had been to seriously curtail the FOI regime.

In particular, the restoration of the Cabinet records and deliberative processes exemption provisions to their pre-2003 state contributes significantly to strengthening the legislation.

Also welcome is the fact that the scope of legislation has as its starting point that all public bodies are covered by it. The reduction of fees for the bringing of appeals is also noteworthy, though the fact that they have not been completely abolished remains a source of concern. While the provisions of the 2013 bill concerning fees for FOI requests have been the focus of much recent criticism, other aspects of the bill also give rise to concern.