Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It regards a commercially sensitive fine, and the remit of EirGrid is to manage and develop the grid. I appreciate the Minister's argument that it may have information because of interaction between it and commercially sensitive bodies; it is most likely it is not commercially sensitive information that is being exchanged. I am coming from the same parameters as Deputy Fleming. In my county the communication used by EirGrid in interacting with the public leaves much to be desired - I am trying to be nice - and there is no scrutiny that I as an elected representative or any member of the public can give to EirGrid with regard to the debacle of the oral hearings with An Bord Pleanála conducted for the North-South interconnector a number of years ago. That is not good enough and there should be some mechanism whereby a public body that is not subject to freedom of information requests can be made to answer questions in the public interest.

I have no problem with regard to commercially sensitive information but there are other issues that are not commercially sensitive. The bodies in question are completely State-owned and run at the bequest of the State in its best interests. To completely ignore requests for information in cases where the company was supposedly acting on behalf of the State only frustrates interaction between Irish citizens and the people supposedly representing their best interests. Will the Minister explain, particularly with regard to EirGrid, the sensitive information that should be protected?