Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are halfway through the Committee Stage debate on the new freedom of information legislation. I accept that the new Bill contains some meaningful reforms. Unfortunately, all of the potential good that the Bill could do will be eradicated by the changes in the fees regime. I believe the Government set out to do the right thing. I remind the House of what the current Minister, Deputy Bruton, said in 2003 when Fianna Fáil sought to eradicate the then freedom of information regime. He said there should be "a right to make requests without a fee upfront, with a person only paying for the cost incurred by his or her request". In the same year, the current Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, said "it is abundantly clear that the fee is primarily intended to discourage requests being made in the first instance".

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