Ó An Roinn Leanaí, Comhionannais, Míchumais, Lánpháirtíochta agus Óige
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Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2014 (the AIE regulations), give legal rights to those seeking to access information on the environment from public authorities. An unofficial consolidation of the Regulations is available.
Under these regulations, information relating to the environment held by, or for, a public authority must be made available on request, subject to certain exceptions. The AIE regulations also oblige public authorities to be proactive in disseminating environmental information to the public.
The AIE regulations provide a definition of environmental information; outline the manner in which requests for information may be submitted to public authorities and the manner in which public authorities are required to deal with requests, for example, timeframes for response. The regulations also provide for a formal appeals procedure in the event that a person is unhappy with a decision on their request.
When making a request for information under the AIE regulations you are required to:
There is no initial fee for making an application under the AIE regulations. However, a public authority may charge a reasonable fee for supplying the information requested. This may include the costs of compiling, copying, printing or posting of information.
If an applicant requires hard copies, there may be a fee of €0.04 per sheet depending on the volume of information contained in the request.
A charge of €10.16 applies to the provision of information on CD-ROM.
There is no charge for applying for an internal review.
It costs €50 to take an appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information, or €15 if you are the holder, or dependent of a holder of a medical card, or a third party appealing the decision to release certain information.
In general, a public authority is required to respond to an AIE request within 1 month of receipt of the request. Where, due to the complexity or volume of information required, a public authority is unable to respond within the 1-month timeframe, they are required to write to the applicant within the month, indicating when a response will be issued. This date should not be more than 2 months from the receipt of the original request.
If the public authority does not have the information requested, it can either transfer the request to another public authority or advise the applicant of where it believes the request should be directed. In either case, it is required to notify the applicant.
There are a number of grounds on which a public authority can refuse information. These include when a body is acting in a legislative or judicial capacity (Article 3(2)) and both mandatory (Article 8) and discretionary (Article 9) grounds for refusing information. When making a decision on whether to release information, a public body is required to consider the provisions in Article 10.
Under Article 11 of the AIE regulations you have a right to seek an internal review of the initial decision. You may also request an internal review if you have not received a response within the appropriate timeframe. An internal review must be requested within 1 month of receipt of the original decision (the public authority may extend this timeframe but is not required to do so). There is no charge for requesting an internal review.
An internal review involves a complete reconsideration of the matter by a member of the staff of the public authority, who may affirm, vary or annul the original decision made.
A written outcome of the review informing you of the decision, the reason for the decision and advising you of your right of appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information, including the time limits and fees associated with such an appeal, will be issued to you within 1 month of the date of receipt of the request for the review.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you can appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI). You must appeal within 1 month of receiving the decision on the internal review from the public authority. However, the Commissioner may extend this time limit in individual cases.
Further general information on the European Communities AIE regulations, including background information on the legislation, is available.