Mr. John Devitt:

There are safeguards under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 for the privacy of individuals. Individual citizens make representations on their own behalf. Even in respect of commercial sensitivity for businesses sharing information with policymakers, that might inform that policy. If anything, the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and the Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015 have enriched public policymaking and ensured that it is informed in a way that it was not previously. This legislation has also made it possible for Members of the Houses to better hold to account those making these decisions. We are aware of numerous cases where freedom of information requests made by individuals, civil society organisations or journalists have prevented wasteful spending and averted future scandals. That was the purpose of the original legislation when it was enacted in 1997. It came on the back of a succession of public controversies and expensive tribunals of inquiry. On reflection, it has saved the taxpayer a great deal of money that otherwise would have been wasted or potentially abused. As I said, to the best of my knowledge, or I am certainly not aware of any evidence in this regard, the range of reforms enacted since 1997 have not interfered with citizens' ability to engage with their public representatives or public officials.