You may seek an Internal Review of the first FOI decision within 20 working days of the date that we issue the letter to you where:

  • we have made a decision to refuse your access request;
  • your request for information was only part-granted;
  • you are not satisfied with the initial decision;
  • search and retrieval charges were applied;
  • you have not received a reply within 20 working days of the receipt of the request by us; the FOI Act deems this to be a refusal of your request and allows you to proceed to internal review stage.

The appeal procedures are as follows:

You may seek an internal review of the first decision if:

  • you are unhappy with the first reply received - that is, refusal of the information, form of access, charges, etc.,

or

  • you have not received a reply within 4 weeks of your initial application. This is treated as a refusal of your request and allows you to look for an internal review.

An official at a higher level will carry out this internal review. You will be notified of the result of this review within 15 working days of receipt of your appeal.

There is a fee of €30 for internal review requests. A reduced fee of €10 is payable by medical card holders. There is no fee for internal review applications concerning only personal information relating to oneself or in relation to a decision to impose a fee or deposit.

Requests for internal review

You should send your written request for internal review to:

Freedom of Information Office
The Courts Service
15/24 Phoenix Street North
Smithfield
Dublin 7.
Email: foi@courts.ie

You must make a request for internal review within 4 weeks of the first decision.

If you are not satisfied with the Internal Review decision, you may seek an independent review by the Information Commissioner under Section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act.

You may also seek a review by the Information Commissioner if you have not received a reply to your internal review request within 3 weeks.

A fee of €50 must accompany most applications for review by the Information Commissioner. A reduced fee of €15 applies if you are covered by a medical card. There is no fee for review applications concerning only personal information relating to oneself or in relation to decisions to impose fees or deposits.

Applications in writing may be made directly to the Office of the Information Commissioner at the following address:

Office of the Information Commissioner,
6 Earlsfort Terrace,
Dublin 2,
D02 W773.

Phone +353 1 639 5689

Email: info@oic.ie
Web: www.oic.ie

 

Section 24 of the FOI Act allows for an appeal to the High Court brought by a party to a review, or any other person who is affected by a decision of the Commissioner, on a point of law.

For more information on your right of appeal see section 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014.