In a major u-turn, the Commissioner for Environmental Information has decided that release of information on travel by the President of Ireland would be a risk to public security.
The CEI had previously decided that information on government jet use by the President should be released by the Department of Defence.
However, in a complete reversal of that – the office has said the information should not be public because it would adversely affect public security.
In a decision, CEI Ger Deering wrote: “I accept that I have a general obligation to act consistently by treating like cases alike, unless there is good reason for not doing so.”
He said a Supreme Court judgment involving Right to Know and the Office of the President and the Council of State had changed the circumstances of the request.
Mr Deering wrote: “In summary, I understand the Supreme Court’s judgment in the President case to mean that the constitutional immunity of the President is of such fundamental importance to the Irish Constitution, that undermining it would adversely affect public security.
“Taking all of the above into account, I accept that the request for information in this case amounts to an indirect request to the President’s office for information concerning the exercise of presidential functions, the disclosure of which would undermine the constitutional immunity of the President.”
This was one of the last small windows of transparency into the Office of the President, which has now been firmly shut.