The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides the following statutory rights for members of the public
- the right to access records held by the Public Appointments Service;
- the right to have personal information, held on you, corrected or updated where such information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading;
- the right to seek reasons for decisions affecting you, taken by the Public Appointments Service.
How does FOI work?
The Acts require the Public Appointments Service to respond to requests from the public for records held by this office. Under the terms of the Acts, responsibility is delegated to specific individuals to examine and decide on requests for the release of records. In most cases the decision must be given within four weeks of receipt of the request. Requesters, who are unhappy with the decision on their request, can appeal to have their request re-examined within four weeks of the initial decision. An Appeals Officer, who can change or agree with the original decision, then reviews the case. This review must be completed within a three week period. If the requester is still unhappy with the decision, he or she has the right to appeal the decision to the Information Commissioner, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773. It is important to note that it may not be necessary to make a request for information under the Freedom of information Acts. A considerable amount of material is available through job information booklets, material on www.stateboards.ie, feedback from interviews and in response to oral and written enquiries.
How to make a request:
Requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act, 2014 must be made in writing and addressed to Freedom of Information Officer, The Public Appointments Service, Chapter House, 26-30 Upper Abbey Street, Dublin 1, D01 C7W6. Telephone (01) 8587639 or e-mail:
Your request should include the following:
- A statement to indicate that the request is being made under the FOI Act.
- As much information as possible to enable the speedy identification of the record(s) concerned. If you have difficulty in identifying the precise records that you require, the staff of the Office will be happy to assist you in preparing your request. It may be helpful to include a contact telephone number so that you can be contacted, if clarification in relation to the records being requested is needed.
- If you are requesting personal records you may be required to provide a copy of proof of identification
- The appropriate fee (if applicable).
Will I be charged?
The following charges apply in relation to requests for records made under the FOI Acts:
Application Fees - Internal Review Fee for non-personal information (€30) (or €10 for medical card holders) Appeal to the Information Commissioner in relation to non-personal information €50 (or €15 for medical card holders) If you are claiming a reduced application fee, the request must be accompanied by the Medical Card registration number and the issuing Health Board name and consent to the verification of these details with that Health Board.
Search and Retrieval and Copying Fees
Fees may also apply in respect of the time spent searching and retrieving records that are released to you on foot of your request and in respect of the copying of any records released. Such fees are unlikely to arise if your request is for personal information only.
The rates of these fees are as follows:
- €20 per hour for search and retrieval
- €0.04 per sheet for a photocopy
Deposits
A deposit is payable where the estimated cost of search and retrieval of records sought is estimated to exceed €100. In such a case, every effort must be made to assist the requester to amend the request so as to reduce or eliminate the amount of the deposit.
Reductions and Waivers
A fee in respect of search and retrieval and copying of records will be waived, where the cost of collecting and accounting for the fee would be less than €100.
A fee in respect of search and retrieval and copying of records or a deposit may be reduced or waived, where the information in the record would be of particular assistance to the understanding of an issue of national importance. Further information on FOI is available at http://foi.gov.ie
Freedom of Information Decision-Maker:
Ciara Graham,
Public Appointments Service,
Chapter House,
26 - 30, Upper Abbey Street,
Dublin 1,
D01 C7W6
Tel: + 353-1-8587497
Ext: 7461
Email:
Freedom of Information Appeals Officer:
Sinead Dolan,
Public Appointments Service,
Chapter House,
26 - 30, Upper Abbey Street,
Dublin 1,
D01 C7W6
Tel: + 353-1-8587576