Jimmy Deenihan
Ceist:89 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Finance whether he intends increasing the charge for requests under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16056/00]
Written Answers. - Freedom of Information.
Section 47 of the Freedom of Information Act obliges public bodies to charge a requester in respect of the granting of an FOI request unless the cost of collecting and accounting for the fee would outweigh the fee itself. The principal charges currently in operation are: £16.50 per hour for search and retrieval of records and 3p per copy of a record made. However where records contain personal information relating to the requester, a fee must be disregarded by the public body unless the request encompasses a significant number of records. The Act also allows a public body to waive all or part of a fee after having regard to the means of the requester. There are further protections in the Act for the requester in terms of minimising costs; in particular, section 47(8)(a) allows a requester to ask the public body to specify the amendments, if any, to the request which would have the effect of reducing or eliminating the fee.
In a report undertaken by the group of civil service users of the FOI Act, which has been laid before both Houses, a number of changes are recommended to the existing charges regime. It should be emphasised that the report's recommendations in this area are aimed at improving the operation of the Act from the point of view of both requester and public body. The Minister of State, Deputy Cullen, has already indicated that there are aspects of the recommendations which he would not favour in their current form. No decisions have yet been made in relation to this issue, and the Government will have full regard to the views already expressed by Oireachtas Members when it decides the matter.