Enda Kenny
Question:32 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the documents in his Department available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997. [12409/98]
Written Answers. - Freedom of Information Act.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, all non-personal records in the Department created since 21 April 1998 may be made available to the public unless they are restricted or exempt in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Act. In the case of personal records, access may be granted irrespective of the date of creation, subject to the provisions of the Act.
To assist the public in exercising its rights under the Act, and as required by section 15, the Department has published a complete guide to the functions it performs and the records which it holds. This reference book, which is freely available from the Department, sets out in detail the various classes of record held by the different Divisions within the Department and also provides information on how these records may be accessed under the Act. The section 15 reference book also covers the activities of, and records held by, the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange, also known as the Fulbright Commission, which comes under the aegis of the Department.