Vol. 573 No. 5
79 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Finance his plans to review the amendments made to the Freedom of Information Act 1997, or to the new regime of charges imposed for applications and appeals under the Act, in view of the significant decline in applications made in recent months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25768/03]
I have no plans to review the amendments made to the Freedom of Information Act 1997 in April this year or to review the charges for making requests and appeals that were introduced in July.
While initial reports would suggest that a decline has occurred in the overall volume of FOI requests being made in recent months, it will not be possible to identify a trend until figures are available over a much longer period. Furthermore, the number of FOI requests being made over time should not in itself be regarded as an indicator that public bodies are releasing more or less information. Many public bodies have sought to minimise the need for members of the public to have recourse to FOI by publishing as much information as possible and by making information available through administrative access arrangements. It can be expected that public bodies will become more proficient in this area as they gain experience.
