Freedom of Information act to be severely restricted

RainyDay

Am I the only one who is seriously concerned about the Govt plans to introduce some severe restrictions on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act? Having used the Act on several occasions recently, I got first-hand experience of the generally negative attitudes of the Civil Service officials towards the Act. This appears to be a blatant attempt to restrict the information available to the citizenry of Ireland The Irish Times weekend review highlights the ‘Top Ten’ restrictions to be introduced as;

- Letters between Cabinet Ministers about matters before cabinet will be exempt
- Reports from Cabinet sub-committees and officials will be kept private
- A fee will be charged for all applications, bar those seeking personal info. The level of the fee hasn’t yet been set, but is likely to be around €20
- Records held by a State body relating to tribunals will be exempt
- Cabinet records will be available after 10 years (not the 5 year period specified in the original Act)
- Applications can be refused by a State organisation if they impose a ‘substantial & unreasonable’ interference
- Refusals to relate information can, in future, be challenged in the Supreme Court
- Documents dealing with investigations by or on behalf of public bodies with no longer be released.
- Papers that could endanger the life or security of a person if published are exempt
- Greater protections will be given to papers dealing with security, defence & international relations.

To me, the proposal to charge a fee is a most insidious development. This is unlikely to have a significant impact on journalists or business, but it will be a substantial deterrent to individual citizens seeking information about the operation of Govt. This demonstrates the contempt with which ordinary citizens are held by the Govt & officials.

This is a very worrying development. It’s strange how this plan wasn’t mentioned in the election manifestos of FF or PDs, isn’t it?

Typedef

I have no sympathy for you people.

You voted for the FF/PD axis, knowing it's crass attitudes towards immigration, it's cherry picking attitudes towards Referenda results, it's support of Pax-Americana aggression and have recieved what you voted for.

It's no use bleating about the fact the government lied in it's election campaign bear faced to get itself re-elected, because Fianna Fial will just get elected again the next time. Intrinsically at the core of it, since the Irish people are not prepaired to elect a different set of leaders, when the current set are shown to be corrupt via tribunal, it is the case that the Irish people 'deserve' this, since the Irish do nothing, to stop it happening.

FF/PD axis, they do exactly what they say on the tin.

gandalf

Yes it is a disgrace. Considering all the scandals in recent years the FOI act has given us the electorate some feeling of security that any wrongdoing will be spotted alot quicker than in the past. It means our politicians are more accountable (something that they are extremely uncomfortable with!).

Yes alot of people are now realising what contempt the Government parties hold them in.

Gandalf.

Heres another thread about this

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=85605

Cork

To me, the proposal to charge a fee is a most insidious development. This is unlikely to have a significant impact on journalists or business, but it will be a substantial deterrent to individual citizens seeking information about the operation of Govt. This demonstrates the contempt with which ordinary citizens are held by the Govt & officials.

On Q&A the other night - a series of diarys were requested under the act which cost €10000 to obtain.

Is the state to pay for this?

The government are making minor changes but the opposition see it as a bandwagon.

I worked in an orginisation that had to comply with this act.

5 were there on filing alone.

It was not a very big organisation.

I think the opposition need a dose of reality. Why should the state fund newspapers who request vast amounts of information - for the purpose of fishing for a quirky story of a "fluff piece" or "filler"?

gandalf

Cork I work for an organisation that use the FOI act on a daily basis to make sure government departments are dealing with all their contracts in a fair and even manner. We are involved in trying to win tenders for business. We have a mechanism to make sure we are involved in a fair and equal process and not wasting our time.

It is an extremely useful piece of legislation. As regards filing information thats done by government organisations anyway.

I think you and the government need a dose of reality, they want to shy away from being accountable for all their actions. Actions like costing the taxpayer €143,000 last year cause Bertie & Co didn't want to drive to Baldonnel to fly in the Government Jet(actually it cost alot more than that because they knackered a €30 million Jet as well).

Have you got a link or further information on this "Diarygate incident", who brought it up?

Gandalf.

RainyDay

You voted for the FF/PD axis,

Oh no I didn't!

On Q&A the other night - a series of diarys were requested under the act which cost €10000 to obtain.

There are provisions under the existing act to allow 'frivolous or vexatious' requests to be rejected. We don't need any changes to the legislation to address this issue.

Why should the state fund newspapers who request vast amounts of information - for the purpose of fishing for a quirky story of a "fluff piece" or "filler"?

If I recall Saturday's Irish Times piece, about 20% of all FOI requests come from journalists. As it happens, I'd have no objections to a charge being levied on newspapers or commercial bodies requesting information which is used for commercial gain on their part.

I've submitted three FOI requests this year, relating to serious, substantial issues. I simply wouldn't be able to afford to do this at 20 euro a pop.

If there is a problem with the costs of responding to FOI requests, the Govt departments should pre-empt requests by publishing every meeting paper, every agenda, every submission on their website. Some departments have made decent progress on this, but obviously most have still a very long way to go.

From Cork, in the other thread

OH - The lefties probably have conspiracy teorys - the act needed review

Yes, it did - but why did the Minister only consult with the high-level group of 5 departmental Secretary Generals in his review. Why did he not consult with the Information Commissioner who might give an independent view on this. Why did he not consult with any of the FOI consultative panels, setup under the 1997 Act (which haven't met since 1999/2000). Asking 5 secretary generals to report on the FOI act is like asking 5 prison-warders to solve our crime problem - They're unlikely to respond with balanced, citizen-focussed views.

Victor

Originally posted by RainyDay
- Records held by a State body relating to tribunals will be exempt

This seems to have an odd resonance here http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/345814?view=Eircomnet

Cabinet to challenge tribunal on secrecy
From:The Irish Independent Thursday, 6th March, 2003

THE Government is set to throw its financial weight behind a full-scale legal challenge to the Morris Tribunal in a determined bid to prevent politicians from being forced to reveal their sources of information.

I asked the Department of Transport to publish the Rules of the Road on their website and they refused, because they "didn't have" an electronic copy.

Originally posted by Cork
On Q&A the other night - a series of diarys were requested under the act which cost €10000 to obtain.

Which is already chargeable to the requester.

Victor

Originally posted by Victor
Which is already chargeable to the requester.

See http://www.finance.gov.ie/publications/foi/foi2.htm for details of fees. As and example of how it was implemented, see http://www.justice.ie/80256976002CB7A4/vWeb/fsWMAK4Q7JKY and http://www.justice.ie/80256976002CB7A4/vWeb/fsWMAK4Q7JKY

Most were by journalists or staff.