Mr. Ken Foxe:

Journalists who deal with freedom of information a great deal tend to tailor their requests in the sense that they begin to target the State bodies they believe will co-operate with them and from which they are likely to obtain information that is worthwhile. The current appeals process involves the original FOI request, which costs €15 to submit. An internal review costs €75 and this basically involves asking the same organisation - though not the same individual - which made the decision, in the first instance, to adjudicate on whether the information should be released. After that, it costs €150 to take a case to the Information Commissioner. Aside from this overall cost of €240, it can take six or seven months - sometimes longer - to complete the process. To me, that becomes the impediment in itself. One does not, therefore, pursue leads which might perhaps be blocked. For example, one does not pursue issues involving Irish Water or certain types of decisions in respect of which one knows requests will be refused on grounds of commercial confidentiality. When I make FOI requests, I frequently have in mind in advance the issues on which they will be refused and I make the decision myself as to whether to proceed. A lot of journalists do that, particularly in light of the fees issue and the cost involved.