Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

As the Deputy knows, the numbers were in decline. The areas of the Act with which we thought there might be difficulties, namely, sections 19 and 20, have not presented any. As can be seen from the total figure of €435 which I gave, it cannot have had much effect on the personal applications. As the Deputy knows, there is no cost for cases or appeals in which people seek personal information. Therefore, there is no change. Furthermore, no certificates have been issued under section 19, which we debated in the House, in respect of exempt records of Government meetings. No certificates have been issued under section 20 by my Department and I do not think any have been issued by other Departments. However, that is a matter for the Department of Finance. It is apparent from the figures that the main change is that the Act is being used less as a scoping method.

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