Madam, - The current charade about amending the Freedom of Information Act in the name of "effective government" illustrates the contempt this administration has developed for its own citizens.
Section 7 of the amending bill covers "refusal on administrative grounds". This alteration empowers the head of a department to disallow a request if he or she believes it "forms part of a pattern of manifestly unreasonable requests from the same requester or from different requesters who in the opinion of the head appear to have made the requests in concert".
Manifestly unreasonable refusals by a department which may necessitate a requester to continue requesting information on seeking "reviews" is legislated for by allowing an appeal to the High Court. The costs of any such appeal will naturally result in such a "right" being confined to categories of citizens who possess enough money to follow such a route.
As a citizen who has sought personal information held by public bodies I have at times found the process like pulling teeth. What it will be like given the many alterations in this bill does not require a Ph.D. to predict.
Given the flow of information that has emanated from tribunals and parliamentary committees, one would have hoped that a government would promote procedures for illuminating and discouraging wrongdoing and corruption. Instead the very opposite is the case, as the Minister eviscerates core sections of the Act. A black day for democracy. - Yours, etc.,
MARTIN MAHER, Galtymore Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12.