Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

The aim was to give a right, not a "maybe" or "we will decide", to the individual to access information on him or her held by public bodies. It gave a right of access within very clearly defined and unproblematic limits to information relevant to decisions made by public bodies. The Minister made a big deal about how it had been rolled out to so many bodies. I note he is not present to hear this speech. He has very little interest in this Bill. The application to hundreds of public bodies was established in the original Act. The Government should not now pretend that it was a favour rolled out by a liberal Government; it only did it because it had to.