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Fees

Freedom of Information Fees Regulations 2014

Regulations have been made by the Minister for Finance prescribing fees for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2014. 

The following fees apply to FOI applications under Section 21 (internal review) and Section 22 (review by Information Commissioner).

Requests under the FOI Act, 2014

There is no fee to make:-

  • An application for access to records.
  • An application under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information).
  • An application under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person).

Internal review

  • A standard fee of €30 must accompany an application for internal review under Section 21.
  • A reduced fee of €10 applies if the person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder.
  • The following internal review applications are exempt:
    • An application in relation to a decision concerning records containing only personal information related to the applicant.
    • An application in relation to a decision under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information).
    • An application in relation to a decision under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person).
    • An application in relation to a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount.

Review by commissioner

  • A standard fee of €50 must accompany applications to the Information Commissioner for review of decisions made by public bodies under Section 22.
  • A reduced fee of €15 applies if:
    • The person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder.
    • The person is specified in Section 38(4) i.e. a third party with the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner where a public body decides to release their information on public interest grounds.
  • The following applications to the Information Commissioner are exempt:
    • An application concerning records containing only personal information related to the applicant.
    • An application in relation a decision under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information)
    • An application in relation to a decision under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person).
    • An application in relation to a decision to charge a fee or deposit exceeding €100.00 under Section 27 in respect of search and retrieval and photocopying of records.
    • An application in relation to a decision to charge a fee under Section 27, or a fee of a particular amount under Section 27, on the grounds that the records concerned do not contain only personal information related to the requester or the requester is not a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder.

 

Summary of Freedom of Information Fees
Type of Request/Application Standard Fee * Reduced Fee **
Request for a Record - Initial Request No fee No fee
Request for a Record - Internal Review €30.00 €10.00
Request for a Record - Review by Commissioner €50.00 €15
Request for a Record - Containing Personal Information No fee No fee
Application under Section 9 for amendment of a record containing incorrect, incomplete or misleading personal information No fee No fee
Application under Section 10 for the reasons for a decision affecting the individual No fee No fee

*Standard Fee - fee will not apply where a person appeals a decision to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount under Section 27 of the FOI Act

** Reduced Fee - reduced fee will apply in respect of third parties who appeal a decision of a public body to release their information on public interest grounds.

Charges for search and retrieval and photocopying of records

Search and retrieval - €20 per hour.

Copying charges:

  • Photocopy per sheet - 4c
  • Floppy disk - 50c
  • CD Rom - €10
  • Radiograph - €6

Search for and retrieval of records includes time spent by the FOI body in-

  1. determining whether it holds the information requested,
  2. locating the information or documents containing the information,
  3. retrieving such information or documents,
  4. extracting the information from the files, documents, electronic or other information sources containing both it and other material not relevant to the request, and
  5. preparing a schedule specifying the records for consideration for release

There is a minimum threshold of €100 below which no search, retrieval and copying fees can be charged. Once the charge exceeds €100 full fees apply.

There is a cap on the amount of search, retrieval and copying fees that can be charged of €500.

There is a further upper limit on estimated search, retrieval and copying fees at €700 above which an FOI body can refuse to process a request, unless the requester is prepared to refine the request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below the limit.

Where the estimated cost of search and retrieval of the records sought is likely to exceed €100.00, a deposit of at least 20% of this amount will be charged to the requester. The process of search and retrieval of the records will not commence until the deposit is paid.

Freedom of Information fees regulations 2014 - FAQ

When do the regulations commence?

The regulations came into effective on the 14th October 2014 and apply to FOI requests and review applications received from that date.

What is the position in relation to requests or review applications received before that date?

Requests or review applications received prior to the 7th July 2003 are unaffected.

How do public bodies establish if a requester is covered by a medical card?

There is an onus on the requester both to claim medical card coverage when making a request and to provide appropriate evidence in support of such coverage. Evidence could include details of the medical card registration number, issuing health board and the consent of the person making the request to the verification of the details with the health board.

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