Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister presumes the company is in compliance with the EU procurement directive. Will he check it for me because we are of the opinion it is not?

We put in many freedom of information requests. Sometimes we get satisfactory answers; sometimes, we do not. Recently - a while back - I put in a freedom of information request about NAMA’s freedom of information system to see how it works on a day-to-day basis. Pádraig Corkery, the freedom of information manager in NAMA, on a request I put in on Project Eagle stated:

The freedom of information is from Mick Wallace, so I am trying to close off any angles of attack in advance.

That does not sound like a State agency that is interested in transparency and accountability.

In another example, I put in a request to the Central Bank about the Ulster Bank global restructuring group and all emails regarding it from 2016 to the present day. It charged me €250 to retrieve information. When the Act was introduced in all its glory by the former Minister, we were told we were getting world-class legislation and it was the best thing since fried bread. I believe the Minister should have another look at the legislation. It is not perfect and could be improved in the interests of transparency and accountability, as well as the public interest.

See this speech in context