A Word from the Information Commissioner

Welcome to the website of the Office of the Information Commissioner. As well as describing the services provided by my Office, this site allows me and my staff to keep both the general public and FOI practitioners up to date on developments in the area of Freedom of Information in Ireland and elsewhere.

Freedom of Information legislation was designed to bring about significant changes in the way public servants approach their work by opening up public access to official documents. The legislation creates a right to information which is at the centre of our dealings with public bodies. In the absence of such information, we cannot even begin to ask how and why decisions were made. In my experience as Ombudsman, it is often the case that the fundamental cause of many complaints against public bodies is a failure to provide sufficient or appropriate information. The FOI Act also creates a right to receive a statement of reasons for an act of a public body in certain circumstances, and the right for a person to have information about him or her corrected if it is proven to be inaccurate.

I believe that the confidence of citizens in the Government and public administration, so essential to a properly working democracy, can be secured only if public administration is open, fair and accountable. A vital mechanism in achieving this is public scrutiny. I believe that the Freedom of Information Act, 1997 as amended by the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act, 2003 has an important role to play in securing this objective.

Increasing the accessibility of official information also enables the public to contribute to the shaping of policies by central Government, local government and other state bodies. When people have access to information about the activities of government and about activities affecting themselves, it supports and strengthens accountability and the democratic process. Better informed people can more clearly articulate their concerns and views about important issues and more effectively challenge decisions which affect them.

By promoting the accountability of Ministers, elected members of local government and public officials generally, I believe that freedom of information promotes better decision-making, better government and better public administration.

This website is constantly under review and new information is added as it becomes available. The site provides links to other sites about FOI both national and international.  The FOI experience in other countries can be very useful and instructive, and being part of a wider FOI community is important to me and to my staff. Professional co-operation at international level is beneficial to all participants as we learn from each other and promote the importance of freedom of information around the world.

This site has been developed to be accessible to as many people as possible. The technology used is designed to provide access to all users and the language of the site is clear and in plain English. I hope you find something of interest on your visit. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for improvement.