Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is what I have just said. As regards Deputy McDonald's point, the original 1997 Act used the term "frivolous or vexatious", which is often used in legislation. I have come across cases, although rare, when somebody takes a down on a public official and says, "I am going to put in FOI requests every day about everything that you do". I have seen it happen. There has to be some blockage because, short of saying that such an approach is intimidation or besetting, it is not an appropriate use of FOI. We therefore need to have some safeguarding system within the code, especially when there is no cost involved in the regime I am proposing.

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