The FOI Act gives every person 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.

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.

No, it is not always necessary to make a FOI request to get information from the Grangegorman Development Agency. A considerable amount of information is already made available to the public through our quarterly newsletters, website, GDA publications and public information evenings.

• Receipt of your request must be acknowledged within 10 working days.
• A response will, in normal circumstances, be issued within 20 working days of receipt of the request.
• All decisions must be clearly explained, setting out the sections of the Act used in reaching these decisions.
• Details of your entitlements to Internal Review and appeal will be included in the decision letter.

You may send your request to foi@ggda.ie or you may submit your request as a letter to:

 FOI Officer,

Grangegorman Development Agency,

The Clock Tower,

Grangegorman Lower,

Dublin 7.

You must state that the request is being made under the Freedom of Information Act, 2014.

You must state clearly the exact records/information being requested, supplying as much detail as possible.

You must state clearly the manner, in which access is sought, for example,

• to view the original at the GDA.
• to receive photocopies of the original.
• hear / view audio-visual records.
• obtain a copy of a computer disk or other electronic device.

When seeking personal information you will be required to prove your identity by producing your Birth Certificate, Driving Licence, Passport or other form of identity.

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 the GDA 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.

If you are dissatisfied with the GDA’s response you can seek to have a decision re-examined by a more senior officer. You should make your appeal within 4 weeks from the date of reply (although late appeals may be permitted in certain circumstances). Applications for review of a decision should be sent to:

FOI Officer,

Grangegorman Development Agency,

The Clock Tower,

Grangegorman Lower,

Dublin 7.

In the case of personal requests no charges apply.

In the case of non-personal requests, your application should be accompanied by a fee of €30.00 (€10.00 for a medical card holders).

If you are dissatisfied with the internal review decision, you have the right to appeal the decision within 6 months to the Information Commissioner. Applications should be sent directly to the:

 Office of the Information Commissioner,

18 Lower Leeson Street,

Dublin 2.

Ph: + 353-1-6395689

Lo-call 1890 253238

Fax: + 353-1-6395674 or + 353-1-6395676

www.oic.gov.ie

e-mail: info@oic.gov.ie

 There is no charge for an application for review to the Information Commissioner of a decision relating to the requester’s personal information.

In the case of non-personal requests, your application should be accompanied by a fee of €50 (or a reduced fee of €15 for medical card holders).