Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

859. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of freedom of information requests responded to by his Department in each of the years 2016 to 2020 and to date in 2021; the number of responses that included documents related to text messages and other phone message communications such as messages sent through an application (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42966/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was established on 02 August 2020. The following table outlines FOI requests received and processed since establishment:

My Department reports annually to both the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Office of the Information Commissioner on Freedom of Information activity. The Office of the Information Commissioner publish this data in its annual report and the annual report for 2020 contains statistical information on DFHERIS.

As to the number of responses that include documents related to phone message communications, the eFOI system in operation in my Department does not allow for the bulk examination of records released under the FOI Act.

My Department routinely publishes FOI Disclosure Logs containing summary information on non-personal FOI requests processed and these logs can be accessed via our website.