Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I may not use the seven minutes because I expressed all the points I wish to raise earlier.

The debate is important for the reasons I outlined earlier. It is amazing that in detailing their opposition, which they are entitled to do, Members on the other side of the House never mentioned the favourable elements that will be brought about by these amendments. I outlined these earlier and there is no point in rehearsing them.

A strong clause makes provision for moving from the High Court to the Supreme Court on appeal. I do not know who spancelled the former Minister of State, Ms Eithne Fitzgerald, on the previous occasion, but such a provision is not included in the existing Act. In regard to charging for information, I urge the Minister to examine the possibility of introducing a substantial waiver system because every payment to a State body can be the subject of a strong appeal. That must be done and I hope it will be because the system will otherwise too arbitrary.

There is a clear need for a tighter journalistic approach to freedom of information. I do not mind detailing with whom I had lunch or how many rows I had with the Minister for Finance in correspondence. The Department of Finance has a job to do which is, namely, to say "No" to everybody. The Department of Finance could not function if it did not adopt rigorous scrutiny of some of the expansive ideas which the heads of various Government Departments, as is their right, put forward. However, I thought it hilarious that, just before I left Government, there was a request under the Freedom of Information Act in connection with a luncheon I gave for the press. The person who requested the information was at the lunch and had a very good time.