The Data Protection, FOI and Records Management Unit in my Department has 3 full-time permanent civil servants with a number of responsibilities including the responsibility for processing requests made to this Department under the Freedom of Information Act.
To date, and in each of the past three years, the administrative grades in the FOI Unit are as follows:
• 1 Assistant Principal (Information Officer)
• 1 Higher Executive Officer
• 1 Executive Officer
The number of FOI requests processed by the Department in each of the past three years and to date in 2024 is set in tabular form below:
|
Year
|
Number of FOI requests processed*
|
|
2021
|
170
|
|
2022
|
163
|
|
2023
|
245
|
|
2024 (To Date)
|
129
|
*includes the National Archives of Ireland
My Department is fully committed to providing a professional service in relation to processing requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
With regard to bodies under the aegis of my Department, the information sought by the Deputy is an operational matter for those bodies and not something for which I have direct day-to-day responsibility.
Notwithstanding this, my Department reports annually to the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP and Reform (DPENDR) on the number of FOI requests processed by bodies under the aegis. The information submitted to this Department and provided to DPENDR for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 is set out in tabular form below. This number of FOI requests processed for 2024 will be submitted in early 2025.
|
Bodies under the aegis of DTCAGSM
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
|
Arts Council
|
16
|
21
|
17
|
|
Board of National Library of Ireland
|
11
|
11
|
13
|
|
Board of National Museum of Ireland
|
10
|
9
|
14
|
|
Chester Beatty Library
|
4
|
4
|
2
|
|
Screen Ireland
|
9
|
6
|
6
|
|
The Irish Manuscripts Commission
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
|
The Irish Museum of Modern Art
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
|
The National Concert Hall
|
9
|
5
|
4
|
|
The National Gallery of Ireland
|
12
|
21
|
15
|
|
Crawford Art Gallery
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta
|
17
|
22
|
37
|
|
An Coimisinéir Teanga
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
|
RTÉ
|
164
|
139
|
239
|
|
TG4
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
|
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
|
17
|
15
|
5
|
|
Coimisiún na Meán
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
31
|
|
Sport Ireland
|
59
|
37
|
47
|
|
Sports Ireland Facilities DAC
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
|
Tourism Ireland
|
15
|
18
|
7
|
|
Fáilte Ireland
|
45
|
41
|
49
|
