Ms Emily O'Reilly:

The €15 standard processing fee has not changed since 2003. It is free to access personal information and there is a reduced fee for accessing medical records. I am not hugely exercised about that fee. I was hugely exercised about the fee for an appeal to my office because it was a barrier to oversight. By the time a person got to my office the total fee was €240. In an ideal regime there would be no fees. If these discussions are ongoing, it would probably be worth looking at best practice overseas. The United Kingdom considered bringing in fees four or five years ago and decided not to do so based on the principle that the records belonged to the people, that there should be transparency and that it did not chime well if they had to pay for them. My major concern was about the fee for an appeal to my office. There is a strong argument to be made that there should be no fees, but it is down to people here to argue that point.