The bodies under the aegis of my Department that have not to date been made subject to the Freedom of Information Act are: ADM – Area Development Management – Limited, the Western Development Commission, the National Advisory Committee on Drugs, the National Drugs Strategy Team, the Dormant Accounts Fund Disbursements Board, An Foras Teanga and Waterways Ireland.
Of these the following are due to be made subject to FOI with effect from 1 November: ADM Limited, the National Drugs Strategy Team and the Western Development Commission.
An Foras Teanga and Waterways Ireland are North-South implementation bodies, set up under the British-Irish Act, 1999. The issue of their being made subject to the Freedom of Information Act is not expected to arise for consideration in the immediate future.
FOI has been extended to additional public bodies on a phased basis since it commenced in April 1998. The Government has decided that this process should continue so that all bodies appropriate for inclusion are covered by end-2005. The extension of FOI to the above bodies will be considered in this context. The Department of Finance, with a view to setting a date for their inclusion, will initiate consultations at official level in the near future.
