Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I cannot comment on the particular incident that the Deputy has referred to in relation to NAMA because I am not aware of it. I cannot comment on something unless I have more information on it. By and large, public bodies should be retaining all of their records that support decisions, either in relation to individuals or policy matters.

However, it is the case, certainly at political level, that the existence of freedom of information legislation has had an affect on the way Ministers communicate with their Departments and how they detail matters. I myself see it. It has happened to me. If I make a comment on a particular matter, the comment, when revealed under FOI, can then be interpreted in any way people see fit. There was an issue recently where I made a point in relation to the number of SNAs in the State. I merely made the point, in the context of a document I was assessing, that we now have more SNAs than gardaí. Within hours of that being revealed under FOI, I was being attacked for not appreciating the value of SNAs which, of course, I never said. It is a reality that freedom of information legislation has affected the ability of people like myself to communicate on matters like that.

In relation to freedom of information, Departments should be retaining all records on either individual or policy matters unless there is an exceptional circumstance to say they should not.

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