I was powerfully reminded this week, as though I needed the reminder, that a lack of goodwill on the part of public bodies is thwarting the usefulness of Freedom of Information legislation, which is one of the best transparency measures we have, giving journalists and interested members of the public the opportunity to gain access to records and materials that would otherwise remain hidden.
For example, we at Gript have used Freedom of Information requests to bring all sorts of interesting things to the public’s attention. One of the best examples was provided by my colleague Gary Kavanagh not long after last year’s disastrous referendums, when documents obtained under FOI showed that senior officials in the Department of Justice believed that amending Article 41 of the Constitution to include non-marital families, as proposed by the Government, would seriously undermine the State’s ability to operate an effective immigration system.
This article is premium content
Get unlimited access to Gript
Support Gript and get exclusive content, full archives and an ad-free experience
Subscribe
Already a member? Sign in here