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

The point I am making is that they are not vexatious or frivolous matters. For example, the time taken to release information is significantly longer than the four weeks specified and, in fact, it can often take up to three months. We have found that only after repeated calls, e-mails and virtually wrestling with bureaucracy, which, by the way, does not seem terribly happy with the idea of providing information that would not normally be in the public domain, we may eventually get a response and in those circumstances sometimes we see great creativity by the civil servants. We can get reams of information already in the public domain rather than the specific information requested.

In 2011, and again last year in the programme for Government, the Taoiseach spoke about the need for ending secretiveness in government and providing greater transparency and accountability, which is the open government system to which Deputy Howlin referred, but the experience is very different. Will the Taoiseach give a commitment that the structure laid out in the legislation, including the timeframe for answering freedom of information requests, will be adhered to? Will he tell us what discussions have been held and with whom in this regard and what progress has been made? Will he indicate what legislative or other changes are envisaged to ensure the more open freedom of information regime to which the Taoiseach has committed?

See this speech in context