Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I used to ask these questions when in opposition. As I told Deputy Micheál Martin, there will be a Private Members' Bill before the House on Friday, to which the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform will respond. He has done a great deal of work on the Freedom of Information Act generally and will outline his response in some detail.

Most of the complaints received in respect of the Freedom of Information Act relate not to the processes by which information is obtained but to the restrictions that apply to the information that can be released. That is why the Government undertook in the programme for Government to restore the Freedom of Information Acts to what they were prior to 2003. We intend to expand their remit to include additional public bodies.

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform deals with the general scheme. This matter was discussed today by the Cabinet, but I will leave it to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to respond to Deputy Sean Fleming's Bill on Friday and take the discussion and strategy from there. Suffice it to say, we intend to adhere to the commitment in the programme for Government to restoring the Acts to what they were prior to 2003 and extend them to include a number of other public bodies.

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