Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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744. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of occasions since the start of 2014 in which the Secretary General of his Department has been involved in the clearing or approval of material for release under freedom of information legislation. [11800/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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For the purposes of the 2014 Freedom of Information Act, I am responsible for all decisions made under the Act by my Department. Access to records requested is either granted or exempted under specific provisions of the Act. Section 20(1) of the Act provides for the delegation of functions to members of staff in my Department, including whether to grant or refuse to grant the request or to grant it in part and/or to review a decision made. I am not aware of any instance since 2014 in which the Secretary General of my Department has been the deciding or the reviewing officer in any Freedom of Information requests processed by my Department.