The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 1997 as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2003 establishes three new statutory rights:

• a legal right for each person to access information held by public bodies
• a legal right for each person to have official information relating to him/herself amended where it is incomplete, incorrect or misleading
• a legal right to obtain reasons for decisions affecting oneself

The Act as amended asserts the right of members of the public to obtain access to official information to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy of individuals.

The Acts are designed to allow public access to information held by public bodies that is NOT routinely available through other sources. Access to information under the Acts is subject to certain exemptions and involves specific procedures and time limits.

Further information is available from Alyson Gavin, Freedom of Information Officer, telephone 01-6136741, e-mail alyson.gavin@lrc.ie
or Michael Keegan, telephone 01-6136734, e-mail Michael.keegan@lrc.ie.

The LRC?s Section 15 and 16 Manual provides details of the role of the LRC and the type of records kept.