Freedom of Information

Feedom of Information 

Freedom of Information (FOI) refers to your right to access records held by state organisations. This is set out in the Freedom of Act 2014. 

The Freedom of Information Act gives individuals the right to:  

1. Access official records held by governmental departments and listed public bodies. 
2. Have personal information relating to them amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading. 
3. Be supplied with reasons for decisions made or taken by governmental departments and listed public bodies that affect them. 

These rights allow people to seek access to personal information held concerning themselves, no matter when the information was created, and to other records created after 21 April, 1998. 
 

Publication Scheme 

The IPA has prepared a Publication Scheme in accordance with Section of the Act.  The Scheme provides comprehensive information in relation to the functions and operations of the IPA. 
 

Making an FOI Request 

To make an FOI request, you must: 

• Make it in writing by email or by post 
• Clearly indicate that the request is being made under the Freedom of Information Act 
• Be as specific as possible about the records you want to enable the processing of your application 

You can submit your request 

Timeline for decisions 

FOI requests are normally responded to within four weeks of receipt. 
 

Charges 

The IPA may apply fees when the cost of retrieving records (search, retrieval and copying) is significant.  In the case of personal records, it is very unlikely that any charges will be applied (except where a large number of records are involved). 

On receipt of the request, the IPA will estimate the time spent on locating, gathering and copying the records involved.  The total is arrived at by applying the following rates: 

If the cost of search, retrieval and copying is €100 or less, no charge applies. If the charge exceeds €100, full fees apply, but you cannot be charged more than €500. 

If the estimated cost of search, retrieval and copying is more than €700, the FOI body can refuse to process your request, unless you revise your request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below this limit. 

Where the estimated fee exceeds €101, the IPA may request a deposit of 20% of the estimated costs. 
 

Exemptions 

There are exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act where, due to specific circumstances, the requested information will not be released, for example: to protect another individual's privacy rights. If any exemptions are necessary, the reasons will be provided and explained to you by the FOI Officer.  A full list of exemptions can be found here:  Manual Part 2 – Exemptions & Consultation Procedures | Freedom of Information.
 

Review and appeal 

You may appeal an IPA decision on a FOI request by using the same contact details as above. 

The internal review process involves a complete reconsideration of the matter by a more senior member of staff than the original decision maker who can amend the original decision. 

A request for an internal review should normally be made within 4 weeks from the date of our response (late appeals may be permitted in certain circumstances). 

A fee of €30 (€10 for medical card holders) applies to this type of appeal. There is no fee for Internal Review applications concerning: 

• personal information only relating to you, or 
• a decision to impose a fee or deposit. 

The review should normally be responded to within three weeks of receipt. 

If you are not happy with the outcome of the internal review, you can ask for a review by the Information Commissioner. 

 A fee of €50 (€15 for medical card holders) may apply to this type of application. There is no fee for appeals to the Office of the Information Commissioner concerning: 

• personal information only relating to you, or 
• a decision to impose a fee or deposit. 
   

Further information 

You may find the following resources helpful on the FOI Act. 

• Office of the Information Commissioner 
• Central Policy Unit in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform 
• Freedom of Information Act 2014 
• IPA Publication Scheme 

Policy review and governance