Seanad debates
Tuesday, 4 March 2003
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
The most dangerous amendment in the Bill does not pertain to the five year rule but to the new powers given to Secretaries General to certify that a record relates to a "deliberative process" and is thereby exempt from release. It is crazy that we are giving this power to a Secretary General in each Department. What is the "deliberative process"? Virtually every scrap of paper, discussion and minute devoted to making a Government decision involves a deliberative process. If the Minister is suggesting that this will be exempted through the imposition of this legislation, it is foolish in the extreme. I ask that the reference to "deliberative process" be removed from the legislation immediately.
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