New guidelines governing the keeping of records by public servants may be introduced following the revelation that senior civil servants destroyed their diaries for 1999.
The Minister of State for Finance, Mr Martin Cullen, who is responsible for operating the Freedom of Information Act, told The Irish Times last night that he is reviewing several aspects of the legislation, and is prepared to look at the area of record-keeping.
"If there is a need to introduce regulations under the Act to improve this area, it will be done," he said.
He was speaking after The Irish Times reported yesterday that two assistant secretaries in the Department of Finance and five in the Department of Justice are no longer in possession of their 1999 diaries. The details emerged following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Department of Finance said two assistant secretaries disposed of their 1999 diaries, while the Department of Justice said the diaries of five of its assistant secretaries for last year no longer existed.
The director of the Office of the Information Commissioner, Mr Pat Whelan, yesterday called for the introduction of guidelines for public bodies in relation to record-keeping. "There are no guidelines at the moment. Public bodies should have a policy in this area," he said.
"This is an issue of accountability. It should be possible for a journalist or a member of the government to get information about the business of government."
The chairman of the Dail Committee on Public Accounts, Mr Jim Mitchell, of Fine Gael, said the law should be changed to require that records be kept, with exemptions in some cases such as for security reasons.
He said a worrying consequence of the introduction of the Freedom of Information Act was the fact that some civil servants were not keeping certain written records for fear they would be accessed under the law.
"The Freedom of Information Act needs to be reviewed to see what are the pitfalls and downsides in relation to record-keeping," he said.
The preservation of records of government departments is provided for under the National Archives Act, 1986.
With the exception of the seven officials in Justice and Finance, details of the diaries were released by all 15 departments.