The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath TD, today (Thursday) announced that work will shortly commence on a review of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI).
Minister McGrath made the announcement at an event organised by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), on the future of FOI in Ireland.
Today’s event heard varied contributions and perspectives on where FOI came from and where it might go from here, from expert panellists:
- Eithne Fitzgerald - Former Minister of State and social policy expert
- Fergus Finlay - Columnist and former head of Barnardos in Ireland
- Seamus Dooley - Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists
- Catherine Bannon - Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Health
The panel session was moderated by Peter Tyndall, Information Commissioner. Peter has recently announced that he will be retiring later in the year, and the Minister was delighted to take the opportunity to publicly recognise his achievements during his time as Information Commissioner and Ombudsman.
The Minister noted that:
“Peter has distinguished himself as a champion of good administration, not only in the Irish context but also internationally in his role as President of the International Ombudsman Institute. His energy, expertise, wisdom and empathy are an example for all of us who serve the citizens of Ireland.”
The Minister also took the opportunity to acknowledge and commend the hard work of FOI Officers and decision-makers, whose efforts in the face of unprecedented disruption and demands on resources kept the FOI system running effectively throughout the pandemic.
“The evidence suggests that in general the FOI system is robust and functioning well. Each year since 2014 the number of requests processed has increased, with the number of FOI requests in 2019 double that of 2014 and with over 80% of requests decided on being granted in full or in part. "While this gives us a solid footing from which to move forward, it is now timely to consider how we might find better ways of achieving transparency in public administration.
“The review process I am announcing today, will be collaborative, taking in perspectives from the public sector, academia, activists, journalists, and other stakeholders, as well as consulting with the general public”.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Eithne Fitzgerald is an Irish economist, social policy analyst, and former Labour Party politician who served as Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste and the Department of Finance, and as Minister of State for Labour Affairs. At the Office of the Tánaiste, Eithne was responsible for introducing FOI in Ireland. Since then she has been worked as Lecturer in Social Policy in both UCD and TCD; was Head of Policy and Research at the National Disability Authority; and has served on a number of State boards and expert working groups. She is currently Disability Advisor with the Department of Health. She will be offering her insights on where FOI came from and where it might go.
Seamus Dooley is a journalist and trade union official, acting as Irish Secretary at National Union of Journalists and is a member of the Executive Council of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. He will speak to us today about the importance of FOI to contemporary journalism.
Fergus Finlay has worked in government, journalism and the voluntary sector over the course of a distinguished career. His address will be on the theme of transparency, politics and public administration - a lot done, a lot more to do
Catherine Bannon is the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Health. She will offer a perspective on the challenges inherent in operating FOI in practice, particularly in light of the disruption and resourcing issues caused by pandemic.
Further details of the review, including calls for submissions and consultations, will be announced in due course.
Further details on Freedom of Information https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/42752a-freedom-of-information/
https://foi.gov.ie/
Contact:Claire Godkin - Press Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform - 085 806 3969 pressoffice@per.gov.ie