Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 3, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following:" 'Information Commissioner' means the Office of the Information Commissioner as outlined in section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014;".

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am sorry I could not be here for the Second Stage debate. I commend the National Archives (Amendment) Bill 2017 and the objectives of the Minister in this regard. Along with my Sinn Féin colleagues, I am somewhat concerned that there could be political influence over what State records are deemed to be relevant records. Our concern is that the Minister will have an effective veto on such records. As far as I can see, no level of transparency around decision-making is evident in this Bill. When I read the transcripts of previous debates on this Bill, I noted the Minister's remark that she does not consider the Information Commissioner to be the most appropriate person for dealing with these matters. While I accept that opinion, I ask the Minister to indicate the official whom she would deem to be the most appropriate person to provide the independent oversight that is needed in this area. I intend to withdraw this amendment, while reserving the right to return to it on Report Stage.It would be helpful if the Minister were to propose independent oversight. Amendment No. 2 is in the same vein.