Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The Taoiseach made the point very well in his reply, where I had indicated that the statistics do not show the whole picture, that the extent of those bodies to which the freedom of information legislation applies is huge. There is an almost 800% increase in the number of bodies and yet the statistics show a huge reduction in take-up.

Does the Taoiseach not accept that the Information Commissioner's recommendations, based on her experience in that position, merit action on the part of Government? There is a requirement to carry out the review that people recommend. Does he accept that nobody here has suggested that the initial intent was to open up opportunities for people to trawl for entertainment purposes or whatever? Nobody has suggested that all the fees be absolutely scrapped, but they should be more token than punitive. Certainly when one moves towards the appeals process, the fee is prohibitive at €150.

There is a requirement, therefore, for a review, for which people here are arguing. Will the Taoiseach please take that on board and acknowledge the collective lobby of the Opposition groupings that are reflective of the Information Commissioner's recommendations in this instance? Will he indicate whether he will conduct the necessary review? Based on the information he has shared with us, there is a huge increase in the number of bodies and a significant reduction in the uptake so there must be something wrong.

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