Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

Senator White moved this amendment on his own behalf and that of Senators McCarthy, Ryan, Prendergast, Bacik and Hannigan. This issue was discussed in the other House. There are good reasons for the exclusion of the Central Bank from the freedom of information legislation. First, there is the sensitivity of the information it holds; second, the independent position of the bank under the European statutes and the very restrictive information constraints which are associated with that; and, third, the risks of an inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information. However, I am prepared to consider whether the level of information made available by the Central Bank could be improved within the legal and other constraints that apply. I will reflect further on this issue with a view to re-examining it as part of the second Bill on financial regulatory reform which will be published in the autumn. At this stage I do not propose to accept the amendment.