State secrecy fuelling public cynicism

“THE original Freedom of Information Act may have been winded but hasn’t yet been stretchered off the pitch,” Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Emily O’Reilly told a UCC conference at the weekend.

One sensed that her use of the word “yet” had a particular poignancy in relation to the Freedom of Information Act (FoI).

“FoI is going through a rather fractious period and needs, cool, clear and to some extent, disinterested voices to remind us of it original rationale,” she explained.