Ensuring Access to Environmental Information

Search decisions

The role of the Commissioner for Environmental Information is to decide on appeals by members of the public who are not satisfied with the outcome of their requests to public authorities for environmental information.

Recent Decisions

Lar McKenna & ESB The Commissioner found that ESB's decision to refuse access was justified under article 9(1)(d) of the AIE Regulations. He also found that the interest in maintaining the exception in article 9(1)(d) of the AIE Regulations outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information sought, where disclosure of the information required ESB to provide the appellant with a copy of the transcript in breach of the copyright holders intellectual property rights. However, having regard to the public interest served by disclosure of the environmental information, he considered that it would be reasonable to require ESB to allow the appellant to inspect the transcript in situ at its office. He varied ESBs decision accordingly. Read more

Mr X, represented by Mr Y & Kerry County Council In accordance with article 12(5) of the AIE Regulations, the Commissioner found that the Council was justified in refusing access to the details at issue under article 8(a)(i) and affirmed its decision accordingly. Read more

Áine Ryall & the Department of the Taoiseach The Commissioner found that the requested information constitutes environmental information and the Department holds it as a public authority and not in a legislative capacity. He found that articles 8(b) and 9(2)(c) do not apply in this case. He found that article 9(2)(d) applies to most but not all of the requested information. Accordingly, he varied the Department's decision and required it to make specific environmental information available to the appellant. Read more