Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 82: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of applications under the Freedom of Information Act that his Department has received in each of the past three years; the number of staff assigned to deal with such issues; the increase, if any, due to recent departmental changes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19010/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, as part of the restructuring of Departments and agencies announced by the Taoiseach in Dáil Éireann on 23 March to ensure greater coherence and produce more efficient delivery, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs will become the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and will incorporate responsibility for social inclusion policy and family policy from the Department of Social and Family Affairs and for equality, disability, integration and human rights from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The process of transferring functions and changing Departmental titles is currently being progressed by the Department of Finance and it is envisaged that this process will be completed shortly. The Deputy will appreciate, therefore, that until the transfer of functions process is complete, it is not possible to provide the information requested in relation to any anticipated increase in the volume of requests made to my Department under the Freedom of Information Acts.

My Department has a designated Freedom of Information Officer, whose role is to provide support to staff responsible for processing and making decisions on requests submitted under the Freedom of Information Acts. The number of requests made to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs under the Freedom of Information Acts since 1st January 2007 is set out in the table below: