1. Attendance:
In attendance were, Mr Dermott Jewell, (Chief Executive, the Consumers Association of Ireland), Mr Tony McQuinn, (Senior Manager, Development and Support, Comhairle), Mr John O'Connell (Assistant Secretary, Personnel and Remuneration Division, Department of Finance), Mr Ronan Fox (Principal, FOI Central Policy Unit, Department of Finance)

 
2. Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

3. Matters arising:

Apologies were received from Ms Maeve McDonagh, UCC.

Copies of Guidance Notes on the provision of assistance to persons with a disability to exercise their rights under FOI were circulated (item number 8 of the minutes of the previous meeting)

4. Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act 2003.

A presentation was made by Mr Fox on the main features of the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Act 2003. It was noted that changes to the charging provisions of the Act and in relation to the exercise by parents, guardians and next of kin of rights under section 17 and 18 of FOI are pending for introduction by regulations of the Minister for Finance.

An amalgamated version of the FOI Acts was circulated; it was emphasised that this was for illustrative purposes and did not purport to be a legal interpretation or a restatement of the Act. It was noted in this respect that a restatement of the FOI Act is expected to be available shortly under the Statute Law Restatement Act 2002.

5. Extension of the FOI Act.

Mr O'Connell drew attention to the significant extension of the FOI Act since the last meeting of the Group and to the fact that further extensions of the Act are planned. The special role of bodies such as Comhairle and the Consumers Association in relation to informing members of the public about FOI and to direct people to the appropriate contact person was noted. An updated contact list of FOI Officers in bodies that are subject to FOI was circulated to assist in this respect.

6. Public information

Mr Fox outlined the public awareness measures in existence in relation to FOI, including the FOI leaflet, advertisements, the CPU website (www.foi.gov.ie) and the website of the Department of Finance (http://www.finance.gov.ie/publications/foi/foi.htm). Mr Fox mentioned that the websites and a number of publications, including the Short Guide to the Act, the FOI Decision-Makers Manual and certain CPU Notices are in the process of being revised to reflect the FOI (Amendment) Act 2003.

It was noted that individual public bodies also operate public awareness, including, most recently, the websites of the main universities and institutes of technology. The Group was asked to consider areas where public awareness might be improved in order to facilitate members of the public in exercising their rights under the Act.

7. Annual Conference

It was noted that the 2002 FOI Conference in Dublin Castle was generally held to have been a very successful event and that it was intended to hold the conference again in the future. Mr Fox noted that the timing and location of this year's conference would need to take account of commitments arising in relation to the 2004 EU Presidency. It was agreed that the FOI Conference provides an additional opportunity for FOI stakeholders to share their views and experience.

8. Any Other Business

Following a suggestion from Mr McQuinn, it was agreed to extend the membership of the Group to include a representative of the Citizens Information Centres. Mr McQuinn undertook to write to Mr Fox in relation to this matter.

9. Date of next meeting

It was agreed that the Citizens Advisory Group would aim to meet at least once a year with the possibility of additional meetings being arranged depending on the demand from the membership. The next meeting of the Group was provisionally arranged for the first quarter of 2004 with further details to be issued by the Central Policy Unit closer to that