Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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943. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the office of the records branch is not open to the public; his views on whether it is acceptable that this office remains closed to the public at this stage of the Covid pandemic; the number of staff who are employed at the office; the number of requests for record searches submitted to the office in each of the past five years; the general timeline by which a response for record requests is provided; if he can provide details of the best way to ensure that members of the public can get a reply in a timely manner in cases in which they are unable to get a response or make contact with the office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34275/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that a decision was made early in the current pandemic to close the public counter in Records Branch to protect staff from any unnecessary exposure to the COVID-19 virus. It is planned that public attendance at Records Branch will recommence from Monday the 4th of July but such attendance shall be by appointment only.  Members of the public may request appointments by sending an email to recordsbranch@agriculture.gov.ie.

Records Branch is staffed by 3 full time Clerical Officers, 1 full time Executive Officer and a half-time Higher Executive Officer, all of whom are overseen by a legally qualified Assistant Principal Officer.

The following table sets out the number of requests received for each of the last full 5 years, together with requests received up until late June of this year.

Open cases are in large part where requests have been received, examined and acknowledged and Records Branch is awaiting a response from the querist, either for further information to determine their eligibility to take up copy records, or for payment. A proportion of requests from 2021 are still being actively dealt with by Records Branch staff. 

Due to increased levels of requests being received, atypical working arrangements due to the pandemic, and staff absences, the response time for requests has increased. 

As a result, a triage system has been introduced to prioritise work.  Where evidence of urgency has been provided, those requests are dealt with in 3 to 4 weeks.  The balance of queries are sorted into simple and complex cases and completed by staff in date order. A small proportion of the more complex cases are referred to the Keeper of Records for adjudication.

The most effective way for members of the public to contact the office is by email to recordsbranch@agriculture.gov.ie