Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 1 Jul 2003

Vol. 570 No. 2

Written Answers. - Freedom of Information.

Enda Kenny

Question:

337 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the number of freedom of information requests received by his Department during each month from January 2002 to June 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18620/03]

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. D. Ahern):

The number of requests received by my Department under the Freedom of Information Acts each month since 1 January 2002 were as follows.

2002

Month	No. of requests received
January	11
February	28
March	11
April	19
May	24
June	18
July	22
August	27
September	28
October	38
November	29
December	34

2003

Month	No. of requests received
January	30
February	25
March	28
April	24
May	27
June	21

Freedom of information requests pertaining to communications, energy and broadcasting functions are included from July 2002 onwards. Since 15 April 2003, my Department has been publishing details of all requests for information received under the Freedom of Information Acts on its website. The information displayed includes the name of the requester, the address of the requester and a synopsis of the information sought by the requester. The name and address of a requester is not published on the website where a requester is applying for personal information about himself or herself, personal information about a relative or information in their capacity as a legal representative of somebody about whom personal information may be held on file in the Department, for example, the executor of a will.

A pilot scheme is also in operation under which the full responses to freedom of information requests to the Department's broadcasting division are published by scanning all the documents onto the website. The effectiveness of the pilot project is being reviewed with a view to extending it to all freedom of information responses issued by my Department, with the exception of the personal information categories outlined above.