Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2021
306. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the number of freedom of information requests refused by her Department since the Freedom of Information Act 2014 commenced for the reason that search and copy costs would exceed the maximum threshold; the number of requests that were subsequently granted following engagement with the requester to narrow the scope of the request; and the costs associated with same. [36157/21]
View answerMy Department does not generally refuse requests on the basis that the maximum fee threshold is exceeded. The FOI Unit in my Department is proactive in engaging with FOI requesters where necessary to ensure that, as prescribed under Section 12 of the FOI Act, all requests contain sufficient particulars to enable the record to be identified by the taking of reasonable steps. If the request remains broad or voluminous, the FOI Unit assist the requester concerned so as to amend the request for re-submission such that it no longer falls to be refused and this will occur before an administrative refusal is necessary.
This is standard operating procedure for my Department and while we do not capture statistics for the specifics of your query, the numbers are negligible in the context of the circa. 600 requests processed annually by my Department.
