I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this important issue. I am pleased to have the opportunity to update the House on the progress of the review of the Freedom of Information Act. The opening public consultation on the review closed shortly before Christmas. This preliminary consultation was designed as an opportunity for all interested stakeholders to have their say in setting the direction of the review at an early stage of the process. Stakeholders in the public sector, journalism, academia, the political domain, as well as individual members of the public, were asked to briefly identify key issues with the current FOI system in Ireland as they see it.
Close to 1,200 responses were received from a diverse range of stakeholders, which demonstrates the high level of interest in this matter. These responses are currently being analysed by my officials and will inform a further consultation paper. It is expected that this paper, which will set out the key themes and issues to be addressed in the review, will be published in the coming weeks. Once it is published, individuals and organisations will have an opportunity to make further detailed submissions around the themes identified in the initial consultation.
We will again make every effort to ensure that this next phase of consultation has the broadest possible reach to ensure the diverse perspectives of all interested parties are represented. In announcing this review, I indicated that it should be an open and collaborative process involving all sectors. I am glad to report that the review to date has progressed in that manner and will continue to do so.
Alongside this, an independent customer satisfaction survey to be conducted on my Department's behalf by Ipsos, which is designed to assess the attitudes of requesters and staff members of public bodies towards the FOI process, is at an advanced stage of preparation and will be launched shortly. Further work will take place later in the spring and into the summer, including a review of international best practices, ongoing engagement with key stakeholders, including the Office of the Information Commissioner, OIC, and an exercise to estimate the cost of processing FOI requests. Once these strands have been completed, a final report with recommendations will be prepared for publication later in the year.