John Dardis (Progressive Democrats)

I want to make a brief point. I keep thinking of the freedom of information officer whom I know in the local authority. It appears, from reading section 4 of the principal Act, that if the freedom of information officer goes on holiday or becomes ill and somebody is appointed to act in his or her place, there will be a legal requirement under the Act to communicate this to Iris Oifigiúil. That is unnecessary and bureaucratic.

The Administration Yearbook and Diary contains information on freedom of information which is not universal. To be practical, that would be a far more appropriate place. Far more people read that than read Iris Oifigiúil and it is a standard reference book for most people involved in administration. I am not saying there needs to be a legal provision for that, but it would be useful if it were universally available in a book like that which is much more accessible to the public, rather than in Iris Oifigiúil.