Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I can table an amendment but it would be better if the Government tabled it. Regarding exempt and partly exempt agencies, NAMA has been raised. People feel an overly cautious approach is being taken. I can understand there is commercial sensitivity but this could be relaxed in a number of aspects in the broad strategic area.

I welcome that there are some changes regarding the Garda Síochána, for example in human resources. On a more strategic level there is a very unequal distribution of resources around the country. I have complained that this for a long time. There is no rational reason for it. My area, Kildare, has half the ratio of gardaí to population of Sligo-Leitrim, which does not have a higher crime rate. I see no reason why I cannot enquire into the strategic reasons why that is so. That is the kind of freedom of information that would be useful for me in my work. It would be useful in holding these agencies or organisations to account so that they make different decisions if there is a valid reason to do so.

At local government level where, say, a third party makes a submission regarding a county development plan and the county manager makes a decision on it, the third party has no right to an explanation as to why the county manager came to that decision. If we are going to encourage people to engage fully as citizens, how we do business is important. That is the kind of area where we need to do things differently. We might not need FOI if we do things differently, but in the absence of this, having a provision that would allow the kind of measure to be open to FOI would be an improvement.

There are positive measures in this legislation and I welcome them. There are a lot of get-out-of-jail provisions in this which are not needed. I will propose some amendments on Committee Stage.

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