Freedom of Information Bill 1996
Public bill · Government · Presented
People would gain a right to access records held by public bodies, subject to exceptions protecting privacy, confidential and commercially sensitive information, public safety, national security and Government deliberations. Public bodies would have to explain their decisions and publish information about their work, while individuals could correct inaccurate personal information; an independent Information Commissioner would review refusals and oversee how the system operates.
Formal long title
Bill entitled an Act to enable members of the public to obtain access, to the greatest extent possible consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy, to information in the possession of public bodies and to enable persons to have personal information relating to them in the possession of such bodies corrected and, accordingly, to provide for a right of access to records held by such bodies, for necessary exceptions to that right and for assistance to persons to enable them to exercise it, to provide for the independent review both of decisions of such bodies relating to that right and of the operation of this Act generally (including the proceedings of such bodies pursuant to this Act) and, for those purposes, to provide for the establishment of the office of Information Commissioner and to define its functions, to provide for the publication by such bodies of certain information about them relevant to the purposes of this Act, to amend the Official Secrets Act, 1963, and to provide for related matters
Last updated 20 November 2019
- Tánaiste Primary
- First StageSeanad
- Second StageSeanad
- Committee StageSeanad
- Report StageSeanad
- Fifth StageSeanad
- Second StageDáil
- Committee StageDáil
- Report StageDáil
- Fifth StageDáil Enacted
- EnactedEnacted
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [Seanad]: Report and Final Stages. Dáil
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [Seanad Bill amended by Dáil] : Report and Final Stages. Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Report of Select Committee. Dáil
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [Seanad]: Committee Stage. Select Committee on Legislation and Security
- Private Members' Business. - Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [ Seanad ]: Second Stage (Resumed). Dáil
- Private Members' Business. - Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Referral to Select Committee. Dáil
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [ Seanad ]: Second Stage. Dáil
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996 [ Seanad ]: Second Stage (Resumed). Dáil
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Report and Final Stages. Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Committee Stage (Resumed). Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Committee Stage. Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Committee Stage (Resumed). Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Committee Stage (Resumed). Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Order for Second Stage. Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Second Stage. Seanad
- Freedom of Information Bill, 1996: Second Stage (Resumed). Seanad