Make a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

FOI offer an additional information by allowing access to records not made routinely available.

A request under the Freedom of Information Act must be made in writing and should indicate that the information is being sought under the Freedom of Information Act. The request should also be sufficiently clear to enable us to identify the records sought.

If you wish to review the records in a particular way (e.g. inspect the records, photocopies, computer disk, etc.) you should specify this when you apply.

If you are unsure what to ask for, the staff of the FOI Unit will be happy to assist you. The FOI Unit can be contacted by phone at +353 (0)53 911 7385 (Alison Barron), +353 (0)53 911 7334 (Laura Molloy) or +353 (0)53 911 7387 (Aoife Carroll), and by email at foi@housing.gov.ie

Requests may be made by post by writing to

Please provide your contact details when making an FOI request.

You should be notified of the decision on your request within 4 weeks of receiving your request.

There is no charges for requests. There may be charges for the time spent retrieving records and you will be advised if these apply.

The following records come within the scope of the FOI Act:

• all records relating to requesters' personal information irrespective of when they were created
• all other records created from the commencement of the FOI Act (21 April, 1998)
• any records necessary to the understanding of a current record even if created prior to 21 April 1998

Certain records are exempt from release under the Act. Among the key exemptions are records relating to:

• government meetings
• the deliberative processes of the public body
• parliamentary and court matters
• law enforcement and public safety· security, defence and international relations
• confidential and commercially sensitive information
• personal information (other than information relating to the person making the request)

Please note that it is departmental policy to publish F.O.I requests on this website.

If you are unhappy with the department's decision, you can request an internal review by a more senior member of staff in the department. Applications for internal review should be made in writing to the FOI Unit.

There is an application fee of 30 euro, (10 euro for requesters covered by medical cards), for applications for internal review of FOI requests. There is no charge for an application for internal review of a decision relating to the requester's personal information or for an application for internal review of a decision to charge fees.

If you are unhappy with the decision made by the internal reviewer, you have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner, whose contact details are as follows:

There is an application fee of 50 euro (15 euro for requests covered by medical cards) for application for review to the Information Commissioner. There is no charge for an application for review to the Information Commissioner of an internal review decision relating to the requester's personal information or a decision to charge fees.