Seanad debates
Tuesday, 4 March 2003
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed).
If anyone asks about Fine Gael policy, I answer that it was my party which introduced this language in its belief as part of its commitment to Europe. Fine Gael brought the language to this State but there is now a situation where this Bill is an obstacle to e-government. The Government does not want to give out information. On the one hand, it talks about the information society while, on the other, there is the iron curtain Senator O'Toole mentioned. I disagree with Senator O'Toole with regard to Deputy John Bruton's take on Government transparency, but I believe in the idea of a glass window in front of the officialdom that executes the decisions of the Oireachtas.
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