Open Government in Ireland

Through co-creation work led by the Round Table group, consisting of civil society representatives and representatives from Government Departments, Ireland’s Fourth Open Government Partnership National Action Plan has been developed. It is available to read in both Irish and English.

This plan contains commitments by five government Departments to strengthen transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive growth.

Open government is a culture of governance that promotes the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive growth.

Complex policy issues cannot be solved by Government alone. When citizens are engaged in public policy making it leads to more informed decisions. Policies and services can then better respond to people’s needs. How the public might respond to policies and to new or reformed services will be better understood. Citizens and service users can better understand the reasons behind some decisions and have more confidence that things are moving in the right direction.

The principles and values of open government are:

• Transparency: To further enhance access to government held information, as opposed to only information on government activities.
• Civic Participation: To further increase participation by all interested members of the public to inform decision-making throughout the policy cycle, via formal public participation and/or broader civic participation.
• Public Accountability: To further improve accountability, including rules, regulations and mechanisms that call upon government actors to justify their actions, act upon criticisms or requirements made of them, and accept responsibility for failure to perform with respect to laws or commitments. A public facing element is required.
• Technology and Innovation for transparency, participation and accountability: To further enhance the use of technology and innovation to enable public involvement in government by enhancing at least one of access to information, public participation, or public accountability.

Round Table members have been meeting and working together to progress Ireland’s fourth Open Government Partnership National Action Plan (2023 – 2025).

Details of meetings are available here.

The Open Government Partnership (OGP)

The Independent Reporting Mechanism has provided independent, evidence-based, and objective reporting to hold Open Government Partnership members accountable and support their open government efforts.

Ireland’s third Open Government National Action Plan 2021 – 2023

Ireland’s second Open Government National Action Plan 2016 – 2018

Ireland’s first Open Government National Action Plan 2014 – 2016

Email: IrelandOpenGovernment@per.gov.ie