15,000 requests for information under Act

Journalists are the largest single group making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to State bodies followed closely by staff members in the bodies concerned, it has emerged.

According to information issued yesterday, the second anniversary of the introduction of the FOI Act, journalists account for 15 per cent of all requests made, staff members of the bodies themselves account for 12 per cent, 11 per cent are accounted for by business, and members of the Oireachtas make just 3 per cent of requests.

Under the FOI Act, an individual is able to access the records and correspondence of local authorities, the health boards, the voluntary hospitals and various other health agencies as well as Government Departments and offices.

There are now more than 170 agencies within the remit of the FOI. From May of this year RTE and TG4 will also be included. Over the coming 15 months the scope of the Act is to be further extended with likely candidates to include the semi-State companies such as CIE.

In the 20 months to the end of 1999 there were more than 15,000 FOI requests to the various public bodies, 11,000 of them in 1999. However, in the first two months of this year more than 1,300 requests were made to the Civil Service alone. It is expected that the total number of requests in the first two years will amount to more than 19,000.

The figures suggest that people most familiar with the Act are making an increasing number of requests for information.

According to Mr Martin Cullen, Minister of State for Finance, international comparisons suggest that Irish people are becoming increasingly aware of their rights under the FOI and are returning to make additional requests when they realise the effectiveness of the system.

The Act also provides a system of appeals under which an individual can refer a refusal to an appeals commissioner.

However, a spokeswoman for the Minister was unable to say yesterday how many, or what percentage, of the requests made under the FOI were successful.