Month: August 2019

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, the Data Protection Commissioner was only partially included as part of the new law.

This means that only administrative records from the office can be sought under FOI and that all other records relating to investigations, including high-profile ones like those into Facebook and the Public Services Card, are entirely out of reach of the public.

This document is a submission by the Department of Justice explaining why they believed the Data Protection Commissioner should be protected from the full scope of the FOI Act.

Back in February 2015, Right to Know made a request for access to details of use of what is known as the ministerial air transport service by the President of Ireland.

Little did we know that it would take four years to get a decision.

The case was delayed time and time again with the government claiming at one stage it could impinge on state security or more bizarrely that use of the jet constituted personal information.

This, despite the fact, that such information is published as a matter of course for the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and all other Ministers: https://www.defence.ie/ministerial-air-transport-service-mats

Ultimately, the Commissioner for Environmental Information ruled that the details were environmental information and that the travel logs should be released.

You can read them below: