FREEDOM OF INFORMATION:THE GOVERNMENT should abolish charges for Freedom of Information requests in a move to reduce barriers to public information, the OECD review suggests.
In a section on "transparency of decision-making", it also says the scope of the 1997 Freedom of Information Act should be extended to cover a wider range of State agencies, such as vocational and educational committees.
It notes that the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act, 2003, introduced fees for requests and appeals relating to non-personal information. This seems to have "reduced the number of information requests, and which has de facto limited the impact of the original Act", it says.
"In the interest of social cohesion and trust in government, greater efficiency and the fight against corruption and greater transparency should be an ongoing objective, even if it can sometimes be uncomfortable and/or costly. While user charges may limit frivolous requests (and therefore reduce burdens on the public service), they also serve as a disincentive to greater openness.
"The Government should reduce barriers to public information by making all requests under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 free."