Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

They follow on from Amendment No. 4. Amendment No. 38 proposes operational procedures whereby, on a six-monthly basis,

a head would submit to the Minister's FOI data manager, whose role I described earlier, all decisions and determinations in a format to be agreed by the Minister prior to the enactment of the Act. In other words, it simply means that one would receive, in a timely and organised fashion and in an agreed format, all the data at a central location.

Amendment No. 39 suggests the same timeline. It requires that, on a six-monthly basis, a head shall submit to the Minister's FOI data manager all extensions of time for consideration of FOI requests in a format to be agreed by the Minister. In other words, there would be in the review a comprehensive twice-yearly report of decisions and delays for consideration. It would be a matter of good practice. The thrust of amendments Nos. 4, 38 and 39, my three amendments in the grouping, is to ensure the collection of data in a central location where it can all be accessed.