STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS

S.I. No. 266 of 2003

Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Section 18(5A)) Regulations 2003

I, Charlie McCreevy, Minister for Finance, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 3 and 18(5A) of No. 13 of 1997 ), hereby make the following regulations:

1.        These Regulations may be cited as the Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Section 18(5A)) Regulations 2003.

2.        These Regulations come into operation on 7 July 2003.

3.        In these Regulations a reference to a section is a reference to that section of No. 13 of 1997 ).

4.        (1)     An application under section 18 may, subject to the other provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 , be made where:

(a)         the applicant is a parent or guardian of an individual (“the individual”) who is affected by an act of a public body and has a material interest in a matter affected by the act or to which it relates and the individual belongs to one of the following classes of individual:

(i)       individuals who, on the date of the application, have not attained full age (within the meaning of No. 2 of 1985 )), or

(ii)      individuals who, on the date aforesaid, have attained full age (within the meaning aforesaid), and have a mental condition, or a mental incapacity, or a severe physical disability, the incidence and nature of which is certified by a registered medical practitioner (within the meaning of No. 4 of 1978 )) and who, by reason thereof, are incapable of exercising their rights under the Freedom of Information Act 1997 ,

and the individual is an individual as respects whom the granting of the application would, in the opinion of the head concerned, having regard to all the circumstances and to any guidelines drawn up and published by the Minister, be in his or her best interests, or

(b)       the individual (“the individual”) is dead and the applicant concerned belongs to one of the following classes of applicant:

(i)       a personal representative of the individual acting in due course of administration of his or her estate or any person acting with the consent of a personal representative so acting,

(ii)      a person on whom a function is conferred by law in relation to the individual or his or her estate acting in the course of the performance of the function, and

(iii)     the spouse or a next of kin of the individual or such other person or persons as the head considers appropriate having regard to all the circumstances and to any relevant guidelines drawn up and published by the Minister.

(2)      In this Regulation “spouse” includes:

(a)       a party to a marriage that has been dissolved, being a dissolution that is recognised as valid in the State or who is living apart from his or her wife or husband pursuant to a deed of separation, and

(b)       a man or woman who was not married to but cohabited as husband or wife, as the case may be, with the deceased individual.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations prescribe certain classes of individuals who may apply under section 18 of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 ( No. 13 of 1997 ) for information regarding acts of public bodies having regard to relevant circumstances and to guidelines published by the Minister for Finance.