Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Does the Taoiseach agree that the changes introduced by the Government to the Freedom of Information Act have seriously curtailed the right of the citizen to find out what is going on in certain areas, agencies and organisations? The Taoiseach is always interested in outcomes and delivery. Is he happy that many of the Departments in the public service fail consistently to provide on time the information sought under the Acts? There is a specific requirement that even if the information is restricted, it should at least be delivered on time, but that is not happening in a range of areas.

The Information Commissioner issued a report at the tenth anniversary conference on 15 May. She stated there is no good reason that key bodies, such as the Garda Síochána, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner, the Refugee Appeals Tribunal, vocational education committees and their schools, the State Examinations Commission and the CAO, should not be subject to the scrutiny which is provided for under the Freedom of Information Acts. She says there is no justification for this state of affairs in Ireland and that we are the only country where practice is significantly out of line with virtually all of the 70 other countries where freedom of information legislation applies. It is not that these bodies are deliberately doing something illegal but should it not be the citizen's right to find out what is going on, why and how decisions were made?

Does the Taoiseach agree with the Information Commissioner's report on the tenth anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act that it should be extended to bodies such as those listed so that this can be made more open? We are campaigning in favour of the Lisbon treaty on the basis that the Council, the Parliament and the Commission will sit in public and let people see what is going on and how decisions are made. In our country, we are out of line with 70 other countries where freedom of information applies. While nothing illegal is being done, does the Taoiseach agree it should be made more open?

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