Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

Does the Tánaiste accept that it is the depth of the Freedom of Information Act that the House needs to debate rather than referring it to committee? The committee already has had considerable discussions with the Information Commissioner who has expressed her concerns about the operation of the Act. The Council of Europe has indicated fees for freedom of information requests are undemocratic. On those grounds, could the Government provide time for discussion of this wider issue on the floor of the House instead of constantly referring motions of this type to committee?

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