The Information Commissioner has said the names of staff of both the Department of Children and Equality and HIQA should be withheld from records because of a risk to their life and safety from the extreme right.
Under FOI, Right to Know had sought copies of correspondence between the International Protection Accommodation Service and HIQA about inspections of accommodation.
We were seeking to better understand conditions for residents, which are known to be very poor in some centres.
However, the Department of Children and Equality responded to neither our initial request nor our request for internal review.
The case ended up being reviewed by the Information Commissioner (OIC) meaning a decision was made for the first time on the now commonplace practice of exempting staff names under Section 32 of the FOI Act.
In the decision, the OIC said this exemption was not “commonly used” (which was true in the past but no longer is).
They said: “I am generally satisfied that serious incidents have occurred and that such incidents have raised concerns for the Department in respect of the release of staff information.
“It seems to me that valid concerns currently exist in respect of the behaviour of a cohort of individuals strongly opposed to the State’s approach to international protection applicants and the manner in which they are accommodated.”
The OIC said they were satisfied that the release of staff names – normally an obligation under the FOI Act – now “could endanger [their] life and safety.”
You can read the full decision below.