Seanad debates
Thursday, 20 March 2003
Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages.
I am not happy with one section of the Bill that is covered by this amendment. I do not have a difficulty with the definition of Government, as it is necessary for certain purposes. If the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, for example, is leading partnership talks in the absence of Ministers, he is the Government for that purpose. An ambassador representing this country abroad can, for all practical purposes, be the Government. I do not have a problem with the fact that the definition of Government is not narrow. The word "officials", however, is defined in section 12 as including not only a senior official who represents the Government, but also "a person who is a member of such other (if any) classes of person as may be prescribed". This section is too loosely drawn.
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