Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The vast majority of public bodies being brought within the remit of FOI legislation for the first time will be subject to it within six months of the enactment of the legislation. This is to allow these bodies time to make the administrative preparations required for the application of FOI legislation. The Bill allows the Minister the power to make an order to extend the preparation time for new bodies up to a maximum of 12 months before they come within the remit of the legislation. I have considered whether that period should be brought back to nine months. I have had a very lengthy engagement with a range of organisation on this issue and some have argued that they need two years. I think it is reasonable to allow virtually everybody six months and if a body can make a really coherent argument to go beyond that period, it can be given a maximum period of a further six months. To keep all organisations in support of the legislation and not include administrative provisions that they tell me they cannot meet in one or two exceptional cases, I am minded to stay with the 12 month period included in the Bill.