Ombudsman’s report – Obstructing freedom of information

It can hardly be a coincidence that since the Government introduced fees and related charges under Freedom of Information (FOI) that the number of applications has fallen by more than 50%, and by as much as 75% for requests for non-personal information.

Some charge is understandable, but it should be pitched at a reasonable level, rather than the exorbitant fees that now apply.

In her first report, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Emily O'Reilly felt strongly enough about the issue to deal with it in a separate report.

Apart from seeking information relating to their own circumstances, a person is entitled to access information relating to public bodies and agencies. Since amendments to the FOI Act made by the Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, in April 2003, that right has been restricted.

Since the introduction of FOI, quite an amount of information has come into the public domain, educating the public about some decisions taken by the Government decisions the Government would rather have kept under wraps.

It is obvious that the reduction in the flow of information suits the Government. If it paid other than lip service to the concepts of transparency and accountability, Ireland would not be so badly out of line with other countries on this fundamental issue.