Seanad debates
Tuesday, 4 March 2003
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
I take issue with the Minister's point in regard to users' groups. He referred to the Civil Service users' network in 1999, and the FOI central policy unit within his Department which chairs an interdepartmental working group and a public service users' network with representatives from all sectors of the civil and public service which is covered by the legislation. He spoke of a consultative group and stated how it has kept the area under continual review and has fed into the process which led to the production of the Bill as it appears before us, as if to suggest that users are asking that the Bill be amended in this way. That users' group has not sat for years. It has not been consulted for years so its work at this stage is effectively irrelevant. Its establishment was made irrelevant by lack of use. There has been a lack of consultation on this Bill.
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