an act of a public body - this includes a decision of a public body, other than a decision under the FOI Act

material interest - this indicates that the person is directly affected by a decision or act of a public body, but that the people in general, or a large class of people, are not similarly affected. The term is defined in the Act in the following terms:

"a person has a material interest in a matter affected by an act of a public body,, if the consequences or effect of the act, may be to confer on or withhold from the person a benefit, without also conferring it on or withholding it from persons in general or a class of persons which is of significant size having regard to all the circumstances and of which the person is a member".

benefit - essentially includes:-

• any advantage to the person, or
• the avoidance of a loss, liability, penalty, forfeiture, punishment or other disadvantage affecting the person.