asked the Minister for the Public Service if he will consider introducing a Freedom of Information Bill to make the records of public bodies, Government Departments and State-sponsored bodies more accessible to the public.
Ceisteanna—Questions . Oral Answers . - Freedom of Information Bill .
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: I have the general subject of more public access to information held by public bodies under consideration. Legislation to govern such access could impinge on the Official Secrets Act and would require prior consultation with all authorities concerned. I should add that all Departments have recently been asked to undertake a review of information and communication arrangements with a view to seeing whether the reasons for particular decisions could in future be more fully and clearly explained and whether more background information relating to policy studies and reports could be made public.
: Would the Minister not agree that access to information concerning public bodies and especially Government Departments is a basic requirement of a healthy democracy? Would he not agree, too, that it is time we examined the situation whereby the possession of even the most innocuous official information is considered to be an offence? Can the Minister give any indication as to when the review being carried out will be completed?
: I am aware that in other democracies facilities are available in relation to this subject but any such scheme of access must be compatible with the Constitution and with the parliamentary system. In this country there are various forms of public access. One of these, for example, is the Question Time in which we are now engaged. There are official publications and there are opportunities for consultation about Government proposals and so on.
: Can the Minister give any indication as to when the examination of this question will be completed and whether at that stage he will be considering the introduction of legislation on the matter?
: I am not in a position to give any indication as to when the review might be completed. There have been talks about the code that would apply to Government documents in the future. The enforcement of that code was to be the responsibility of the ombudsman but that office has not been filled yet.