Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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473. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to his Department’s failure to respond in-part and in-whole to the freedom-of-information requests of a person (details supplied), some of which date back to September 2020; and if this delay meets his Department’s commitment to promote transparency in its application of legislation concerning freedom of information. [48169/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I can confirm that I am aware of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted to my Department by the person referred to in your PQ and my Department’s management of the FOIs.

I wish to assure you that my Department is committed to the full application of FOI legislation. My officials appreciate the need for openness and transparency. They understand the important role FOI plays in supporting confidence on the part of the public in the actions and decisions of the Department. Through the application of appropriate structures, the Department maintains full and proper records that document these actions and decisions which, among other things, facilitates it in meeting its obligations under FOI legislation.

While the vast majority of FOI requests can be and are responded to quickly, my Department does, on occasion, need to engage with requestors in a manner consistent with the provisions of FOI legislation in relation to their FOI request. The purposes of these engagements can include determining the nature of the records sought, their scope and whether the records requested exist. These engagements are an important step in reaching decisions on the release of records.

If the requestor is dissatisfied with the Department’s decision or timeframes in responding to them, they may of course apply for a review to the Office of the Information Commissioner.