Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

The Bill appears to be going further than the Minister of State would like it to go. I suggest that the Minister of State should accept the amendment on that particular section when we put it down.

The Bill refers to material compiled principally and not solely for Cabinet. This was specifically put into the original Bill to ensure that material going to Cabinet was covered by a narrow rather than a broad exemption. The narrow exemption has now become a broad exemption. All material compiled principally for Cabinet now becomes exempt from the operation of the legislation.

I want to touch on the matter of the appeals process and costs. This is one of the most insidious elements of this legislation. A broad blanket of €20 is being applied. The Minister for Finance seemed to suggest earlier that it could even be higher because he has not decided what will be the cost of an application or an appeal. I understand that, under the current operation of the legislation, there is a certain discretion being used within Departments. I agree with this because some people can afford to make information requests while others cannot.