Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the section of A Programme for a Partnership Government on making partnership in democracy work, the Government commits to transparent oversight. This includes building on freedom of information reforms and committing to further changes, including a more open freedom of information regime. Under the Act, people have the right to access records held by bodies under the aegis of the legislation. These bodies must give people an explanation if they are not given what they asked for and normally that decision must be made within four weeks. Our experience in submitting freedom of information requests and securing responses within the specified period falls very short of the commitment made in the legislation, and we are not making inquiries about how much the Taoiseach's sandwiches and soup cost in Lahinch or elsewhere.

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