Freedom of Information

The Freedom Of Information Act provides, that from the effective date, every person has the following legal rights:

• The right to access official records held by Government Departments or other public bodies as defined by the act.
• The right to have personal information held on them corrected or updated where such information is incomplete, incorrect or misleading;
• The right to be given reasons for decisions taken by public bodies that affect them.

Regulations provide that parents, guardians and next-of-kin may apply to exercise these rights in certain circumstances. These rights mean that people can seek access to personal information held on them no matter when the information was created, and to other records created after the effective date.

Request must be in writing to Sport Ireland:

FOI Officer:

Sport Ireland,

The Courtyard,

Sport Ireland National Sports Campus,

Snugborough Road,

Blanchardstown,

Dublin 15

D15 PN0N





Requests can also be made by email to FOI@sportireland.ie When you make a request you must submit the request in writing to the FOI Body that holds the records you are looking for.

• Specify that the request is being made under the FOI Act
• Be clear enough so that the public body to whom the request is addressed understands what records are being requested. In cases where the public body is not clear what records are being requested, it must assist the requester to put his/her request in such a way that the records being sought can be identified.
• When you are seeking information which is personal, you will be required to supply the appropriate identification as required by the decision maker.
• In cases where you are seeking to access records under section 37(8) you will be required to provide additional details in order to exercise these rights.

The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides for a completely new FOI fees regime. The following is a summary of the new fee structure in respect of non-personal requests:

• The €15 application fee has been abolished
• There is a minimum threshold of €101 below which no search, retrieval and copying fees can be charged. Once the charge reaches €101, full fees apply;
• There is a cap on the amount of search, retrieval and copying fees that can be charged of €500;
• There is a further upper limit on estimated search, retrieval and copying fees at €700 above which an FOI body can refuse to process a request, unless the requester is prepared to refine the request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below the limit;
• The fee for internal review under Section 21 is now €30 (€10 for medical card holders and their dependants)
• The fee for appeals to the Information Commissioner under Section 22 is now €50 (€15 for medical card holders and their dependants)

Can I appeal a decision?

• Yes. If you are not satisfied with the decision on an FOI request, you may ask the department or body for an "internal review" of the decision. A more senior officer will review your application. You will be told the result of this review within 3 weeks.
• If you are not satisfied with the decision on "internal review", you may ask the Information Commissioner to review the matter.
• Is there a charge for appealing a decision of a public body?
• A fee of €30 must accompany an application for internal review of a decision of a public body.
• A reduced fee of €10 applies if you are covered by a medical card.
• There is no fee for internal review applications concerning only personal information relating to oneself or in relation to a decision to impose a fee or deposit.
• A fee of €50 must accompany most applications for review by the Information Commissioner.
• A reduced fee of €15 applies if you are covered by a medical card or in relation to a review concerning certain third party information.
• There is no fee for review applications concerning only personal information relating to oneself or in relation to decisions to impose fees or deposits.