Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Over the past few years the Department has averaged around 50 cases per year and this year the number will rise again. In 2004, 2005 and 2006 there were 45, 61 and 54 cases, respectively, and this year so far there have been 55, so there are already more cases than there were last year. The final figure probably will be around 70.

When the FOI system was first introduced, the Department dealt with around 140 cases per year, but at that time the system was being used by companies to obtain information for business reasons. That is partly the reason for the introduction of fees. Other countries have different systems. When considered in terms of the amount of effort, commitment and time allocated to FOI requests, I do not believe the fees are excessive. It should be noted that if a request is about one's self, for example, personal information or family records, there is no charge. It is only when the request is in a different area that the fee is applied. It is a fair system and I do not believe it is expensive.

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