Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 488: To ask the Minister for Health if he will confirm the reason no response, reply or acknowledgement has ever been issued in response to a letter sent to the office of the chief executive officer of the Health Service Executive (details supplied); the current policy within the HSE with regard to the acknowledgement and processing of and response to freedom of information requests generally; if there is anything in the general HSE policy or a specific policy pertaining to the office of the CEO of the HSE which would preclude the issuing of responses to freedom of information requests; if so, the reason that is the case; the details of that policy; if the office of the CEO of the HSE is required to process and act upon the receipt of a freedom of information request; if so, the time frame within which such a request must be processed and responded to; if not, the reason this is the case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29762/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Under the Freedom of Information legislation the Health Service Executive is a completely separate body from the Department of Health. Statutory responsibility for compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts rests entirely with the Health Service Executive.

Provisions within the Freedom of Information legislation allow for an appeals process should any prescribed body fail to meet its requirements under the Acts.

I have been advised that this particular request, which was resubmitted to the relevant local office of the HSE on the 5 of October, has been acknowledged as received by that office and the request is being processed.