Results 12,221-12,240 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I am afraid I am not very technical. The mechanism to interrogate data and create a new database will not exempt information on the new database from being released. I do not know if there are technical issues that are so unreasonable that one has to write a new code that is so burdensome that it has to be excluded. I will ask somebody technical to respond to the Deputy.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: No, the data are available. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly is talking about the mechanism to extract the data. I presume that would be fully covered. The issue is reasonableness. If it is extraordinarily convoluted and complicated to write new code to extract the data, that is a reasonable line for refusal. I do not understand the systems to which the Deputy refers, but normal interrogation...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: That is captured by the notion that it is reasonable to do it. The organisation does not have to get IBM to write a new system for it.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Correct, if it is a matter of normal usage.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: There is the element of practicality, public administration, costs and the general public good. We all have rights, but we must site things in the general public good. I am advised that it is very rarely used. If this section was to be used in the future, the individual would have the right of appeal to the independent authority - the Office of the Information Commissioner. If the...
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I am informed that there are extensive guidelines.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Yes, from the Office of the Information Commissioner.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: It is because there is a timeframe for patterns of annual releases that can be written into primary legislation. One does not use the FOI process to undermine what is included in statute law.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I cannot think of one instantly, but we can provide the Deputy with one.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: There is a timeframe for different pieces of information to be published. One can submit an FOI request that would upset this.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: It is going to be published in an orderly time line in any event.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Again, this has been the law since 1997 and it has not caused a problem.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: They might not be available instantly.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Yes.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: Again, it relates to somebody saying he or she is going to do this is as a matter of course and somebody saying he or she is going to pre-empt it by submitting an FOI request to upset the normal orderly work of individuals who want to be proactive in giving information. It is a case of "I want me scoop."
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: I have to recheck my notes in that respect. I think the argument was that the information was already available. I cannot think of a reason it should not simply be re-presented, if that is the case.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: If one looks at the actual catching phrase in section 15(1)(i), it reads, "the request relates to records already released". That is the key point.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: They will be subsumed into this Bill.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: They have been consolidated.
- Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (13 Nov 2013)
Brendan Howlin: True.