Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 110: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has plans to abolish fees for Freedom of Information requests in view of the recent recommendation of the OECD which concluded that such charges imposed by State Departments and agencies were a disincentive to greater openness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18022/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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With regard to the fees that apply under the Freedom of Information Act, I am aware of the OECD's recommendation and I do not agree that the fees for FOI requests are a disincentive to greater openness. The application fee of €15 was first introduced in 2003 and has not been increased since then. FOI requests for non-personal information, to which a fee applies, have gone down from 7,216 in 2003 to 3,044 in 2007. At the same time, the number of applications for personal information, for which no fee is applied, have also gone down from 10,842 in 2003 to 7,558 in 2007. These figures clearly indicate that the application fee is not the primary driver in the reduction in application levels. In these circumstances, I am satisfied that the fees currently in operation strike the appropriate balance between the cost of administering the FOI Act and the right to access information.