It gives you the right to have your personal data corrected or updated, where such information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading, and to get reasons for decisions taken by the department that affect you. Act to enable members of the public to obtain access, to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy. Federal register of legislation australian government. General right of access to information held by public authorities. Under the freedom of information act foi, 1997, and the freedom of information amendment act 2003 every person has the right to. Registered office as above a short guide to the freedom of information act and other new access rights version 1. The freedom of information act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. Part vi historical records and records in public record office or public record office of northern ireland 62. Freedom of information department of infrastructure. This excludes information that is properly regarded as private to the meeting. The freedom of information act 2014 offers you access on request, to records held by the department. Northern ireland nondepartmental public bodies northern ireland nondepartmental public bodies and other public authorities definition document version 3 20140730 3 takes the lead.
Freedom of information act 2000 gives the public the right to access information possessed by and pertaining to the entities that perform functions funded by the taxpayer money and affect the life of the public, at large. Freedom of information act 2000 definition document for. In ireland the freedom of information act 1997 came into effect in april, 1998. A request must be in writing to the foi officer, health and safety authority, metropolitan building, james joyce street, dublin 1. Freedom of information northern ireland law commission. Apr 02, 2020 the university publishes logs of all nonpersonal foi requests on a regular basis. Under the freedom of information act 2014 foi you have a right to apply for access to information which is not usually available to the public. The freedom of information act foia is a law that gives you the right to access information from the federal government. Reform and update foi in ireland and in line with other eu ms promote greater transparency and accountability across public bodies open government etc. Your rights the foi act gives any person the right to. Five years on by maeve mcdonagh university college cork posted september 22, 2003 on the origins of freedom of information in ireland the genesis of the irish freedom of information act can be traced back to the late 1980s, when allegations of improper relationships between politics and business in. The freedom of information act foia generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement. Yet without instructions or clarity on how it was to be interpreted and used, in its first fifteen years it fell victim to inconsistencies and delays. Federal agencies are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by any of the nine.
Mar 05, 2020 freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act, or foia 5 u. Commission for communications regulation, one dockland central, guild street, dublin 1, d01 e4x0. Due to the covid19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the office of management and budget, the office of information programs and services has implemented maximum telework flexibilities to protect its employees and their communities. Freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act, or foia 5 u. Code of practice issues under section 45 of the freedom of information act 2000, providing guidance to public authorities on the discharge of.
Extension of time for consideration of foi requests. However, providing this information may assist uscis in locating the records and information needed to respond to your request. Family name last name given name first name middle name. Freedom of info around the world national democratic institute. Freedom of information act central bank of nigeria. Home perspectives how will the gdpr affect foi law. Apr 14, 2016 2 irish water freedom of information publication scheme introduction irish water is subject to the provisions of the freedom of information act 2014 the foi act. Under section 8 of the freedom of information act, 2014 foi public bodies must prepare and publish on a routine basis as much information outside of foi as possible. The current version of the statute can be obtained from the. Court rulings and a lack of resources could be undermining ireland s transparency laws. Dpa means the data protection act 1998, relating to the processing of personal data, and applying in the uk up to 25 may 2018.
Foi provides an additional source of information by facilitating. Nui is committed to promoting transparency though the routine publication of information and will publish further material through the universitys foi publication scheme, prepared under section 8 of the freedom of information act 2014. Act to amend the freedom of information act 1997 and to provide for related matters. Making a request under the freedom of information act hse. It can advise you on how to protect your personal information and how to gain access to official records. How to make a freedom of information foi request gov. The freedom of information act came into effect for failte ireland on 21 october. This provided for members of the public to access information specifically about themselves, amend incorrect information, and request an explanation behind administrative decisions concerning themselves, as well as allowing any person to access records generated by a list of specified public bodies. The freedom of information act provides that every person has the following legal rights the right to access official records held by government departments or other public bodies as defined by the act. Foi the first decade office of the information commissioner.
Applications should be in writing and should indicate that the information is sought under freedom of information legislation. Making a request under the 2014 freedom of information act. No 218 of 2016 freedom of information act 2014 section. The freedom of information act 1997 foi act as amended by the. Further information on the implementation of the data protection acts at enterprise ireland is available from. Freedom of information act 2014 the institute of directors. Authorised by the act parliamentary counselalso accessible at. Freedom of information and the hsa health and safety authority.
The new rights of access in the foia signal a new recognition of, and commitment to, the public interest in openness about government. An act to give public access to government information, and for other purposes. The aim of the foi act is to promote transparency and accountability of public bodies, such as the central bank of. The freedom of information act 1997 foi act as amended by the freedom of information amendment act 2003 obliged government departments, the health service executive hse, local authorities and a range of other public bodies to publish information on their activities and to make the information that they held, including personal information. The act defends your right to access official information to the greatest. Freedom of information national university of ireland. The acts are also available for download as pdf files. Government relations, foi and dp office, enterprise ireland, the plaza, east point business park. The freedom of information act 2000 foi gives members of the public a general right of access to recorded information held by public authorities, including invest northern ireland subject to certain exemptions. The electronic irish statute book eisb comprises the acts of the oireachtas parliament, statutory instruments, legislation directory, constitution and a limited number of pre1922 acts. Freedom of information act definition document for district. The freedom of information act foia, enacted in 1966, generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information.
The freedom of information act 2014 the foi act provides members of the public with the right to access information held by public bodies to the greatest extent possible, consistent with the public interest and right to privacy. Foi requests should be submitted in writing by email or post, preferably using a standard request form, to the foi liaison officer. Freedom of information act 2011 laws of the federation of nigeria an act to make public records and information more freely available, provide for public access to public records and information, protect public records and information to the extent consistent with the public interest and the protection of. The epa is responsible for protecting the environment in ireland.
Download our guide to making a freedom of information request to failte ireland pdf, 63kb. In others such as ireland and the uk, the commissioner has the power to make. An act to enable members of the public to obtain access, to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy, to information in the possession of public bodies, other bodies in receipt of funding from the state and certain other bodies and to enable persons to have personal information relating to them in the possession of such bodies. The freedom of information act 2000 foia will be affected by the european general data protection regulation gdpr, which is due to come into effect on 25th may 2018. Northern ireland, and by ukwide public authorities based in scotland. The right to request information under this act is not confined to citizens of the united kingdom or from those resident in the united kingdom. You must make a request in writing using the following form. How to make a request from public bodies and organisations under the freedom of information act foia, how much it costs and how long it takes how to make a freedom of information. Act to enable members of the public to obtain access, to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy, to information in the possession of public bodies, other bodies in receipt of funding from the state and certain other bodies and to enable persons to have personal information relating to them in the possession. The freedom of information act, 1997, hereinafter referred to as the foi act, established three new. The act the freedom of information act foia is 1976 pa 442, mcl 15. Internal communications guidance, criteria used for. You must state that the request is being made under the freedom of information act 2014.
Northern ireland government departments northern ireland government departments definition document version 4 20140730 7 information presented to those at meetings making executive decisions. If information is requested under the freedom of information act we will release it, unless there are relevant exemptions. Freedom of information act definition document for. Enterprise ireland routinely makes information available to the public through information leaflets, publications and in response to enquiries. An act to make provision for the disclosure of information held by public authorities or by persons providing services for them and to amend the data protection act 1998 and the public records act 1958. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. For information on our personal data protection notice, grants data protection notice and cookie policy, please refer to our gdpr section. Freedom of information act 2014 irish statute book.
What is the freedom of information act foia the freedom of information act foia is a federal law that gives any person, including u. This guide will explore what is covered by the act, how branches can use the act, obligations of public authorities under the act and. Sixth form colleges may opt to use either this definition document or the one for schools. This publication scheme has been prepared and published in accordance with the requirements of section 8 of the foi act. Section 8 of the freedom of information act 2014 requires public bodies to publish as much information as possible in an open and accessible manner on a routine basis outside of foi, having regard to the principles of openness, transparency and accountability, as set out in sections 8 5 and 11 3 of the act. Lists of and information relating to organisations with which the ndpb works in partnership it is expected that this information need be only sufficient for the. The campaign for freedom of information suite 102, 16 baldwins gardens london ec1n 7rj tel. Freedom of information foi the foi act 2014 provides that every person has the following legal rights. Freedom of information is an extension of freedom of speech, a fundamental human right recognized in international law, which is today understood more generally as freedom of expression in any medium, be it orally, in writing, print, through the internet or through art forms. The act which is an expansion of section 39 of the constitution of the. The freedom of information act 2000 gives members of the public the right to know about and request information that we hold. This means that the organisation became a public body for the purposes of paragraph 15 of the first schedule to the freedom of information act, 1997. The 2014 act introduced a number of changes to the freedom of information system and widened the range of bodies to which the foi legislation applies it now applies to all public bodies, unless they are specifically exempt.
They are additional to other access rights, such as access to personal information under the data protection act 2018, and access to environmental information under the eir 2004. National museum of ireland freedom of information act, 1997. Freedom of information act 2014 amendment of schedule 3 regulations 2016. The publication scheme is intended to make information available to the public as part of its normal business activities. The northern ireland law commission nilc is one of the public bodies which is covered by the terms of this act. Information commissioners office ico refers to the regulatory body for the act. Freedom of information amendment act 2003 pdf 9 apr 2003. Pdf, short for portable document format, is a document format developed by adobe systems.
This link goes to the houses of the oireachtas website. The act replaced the access provisions for uk public records set out in the public records act 195867 and also governs access to information held by most public sector bodies. Northern ireland to find a new status in exposing wrongdoing in public life. The access provisions of the freedom of information act came fully into force in january 2005. Freedom of information act definition document for colleges of further education for the avoidance of doubt, this document covers further education colleges in england, wales and northern ireland that are subject to the freedom of information act 2000 foia. Displayed here are links to compilations of the principal, the most current at the top of the list. The freedom of information act 2014 was signed into law on 14th october 2014. The current freedom of information foi legislation was enacted and applied to local authorities in october 2014. Foia templates making a request freedom of information. An application form request for information under the freedom of information act.
We would expect district councils to make the information in this definition document available unless. The aim of the foi act is to promote transparency and accountability of public bodies. Freedom of information act 2000 chapter 36 arrangement of sections part i access to information held by public authorities right to information section 1. Pdf allows online publications to appear exactly as they do in print, and uniformly from one browser to another. The information commissioners office ico the information commissioners office ico can help you understand what data protection, freedom of information and related issues mean to you. Is ireland s freedom of information act facing an existential crisis. It is intended to be of assistance to members of the public and practitioners alike. The act replaces the 1997 and 2003 acts and introduces a number of changes to the freedom of information scheme and widens the range of bodies to which the foi legislation applies. The freedom of information act 2014 came into effect in october 2014 and repealed the 1997 and 2003 acts. This article was originally published in pdps freedom of information journal.
As it took on this task it was given a powerful new tool, the freedom of information foi act. Right of person to information regarding acts of foi bodies affecting the person chapter 2. Guide to making a freedom of information request failte ireland. Freedom of information what is freedom of information foi. Specify that the request is being made under the freedom of information act 2014. This guide sets out the key steps for using the freedom of information a ct to obtain information from government and public authorities. Freedom of information and data protection nidirect. Freedom of information an act to a give effect to the broad provisions of section 12 of the constitution which gives to every person the right and freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, including information held by public authorities, so as to enhance good governance through knowledge. All newly enacted provisions in boldface type replace the strikethrough text. The freedom of information act, or foia, was signed into law by president lyndon johnson in 1966, giving the public the right to access records from any. Conor ryan introduction in 1997 irish journalism emerged from a period dominated by violence in northern ireland to find a new status in exposing wrongdoing in public life. The freedom of information act was enacted a few years ago, to promote, enhance and develop our precarious democracy. The freedom of information act 1982 foi act provides a right of access to documents held by most australian government agencies, subject to certain exemptions.
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