!!! Within weeks the 1997 FOI Act will be removed from the statute book. !!! PUBLIC MEETING Democracy Protection Campaign. Abbey Hotel, Abbey St, Dublin, (opposite Arnotts store) Wednesday 5th February, 7 pm. The core essence of democracy is accountability and the most effective instrument for making institutions accountable for the citizen, has been the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 1997. Within weeks the 1997 FOI Act will be removed from the statute book. An unreported section of its proposed replacement, (FOI Bill 2013) extinguishes the current legal obligation on public bodies to make available to the public, information about themselves, including information regarding their procedures, guidelines, rules, precedents, etc for making decisions on entitlements and appeals against decisions. Sections 15 and 16 FOI Act 1997. The public bodies include, HSE, Bord Pleannala, institutes of education, social welfare, city and town councils, etc. Under a replacement section of the 2013 FOI Bill the public institutions -themselves- will decide what categories of information they will make available to the public. In addition, new powers are vested in the Minister to revise such information if he or she thinks fit. to do so. It is expected that all stages of the new bill will have passed through Dail and Seanad Eireann within the following 6 to 8 weeks, following which it will be codified into law. There is still time to retain what rights are enshrined for the citizens in sections 15 and 16 but the clock is ticking and the failure of media and opposition to notice or appreciate the gravity of this literal power grab -in the name of FOI- has meant that government and the senior echelons of the civil service nearly have this over the line. ...if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless. Sissela, Bok Swedish philosopher.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 02:23:14 +0000
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