Freedom of Information

The FOI Act 2014 provides that every person has the following legal rights:

These rights mean that you have the right to ask BIM to provide any records about yourself and records on other information. 

You do not have to give a reason why you want to see these records. A decision on your Freedom of Information (FOI) request will usually be made within 4 weeks.

If you are considering making a freedom of information request and would like further information, please get in touch at foi@bim.ie  as the information you are looking for may be available outside of FOI.

 

What can I ask for?

A record can be an electronic document, a printout, a map or audio-visual material

 

How do I make an FOI request?

You should send a request either, in writing or by email, to:

FOI Officer
Bord Iascaigh Mhara
PO Box 12
Crofton Rd
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin

+353 1 2144 100

Or send an email to foi@bim.ie. Your request should include the following:

Alternatively, you may download the Application Form and submit this to the FOI Officer at foi@bim.ie .

 

Do I have to pay?

There is no fee for making a request under the FOI Act. However, you may have to pay some fees for administration and reviews. Find out more about fees here.

 

How soon can I expect a reply?

Under the Act, a request for records must be acknowledged within 2 weeks and, in most cases, responded to within 4 weeks. If a third party is involved there may be another three weeks before a response issues.

 

Can I get access to any information that I seek?

The following records come within the scope of the FOI Acts:

However, in order to allow BIM business to be properly conducted, it will sometimes be necessary to exempt from release certain types of information in some circumstances. These are set out in the Act. Among the key exemptions are records relating to:

Requests may also be refused if they are deemed too voluminous or unclear but BIM will assist the requester in trying to overcome this.

 

Where can I get more information?

BIM follows the principles of openness, transparency and accountability and publishes as much information as possible. For example, we provide information on:

Freedom of Information Request Logs:

Freedom of Information request log 2016-2019

Freedom of Information request log 2020

Freedom of Information request log 2021

Freedom of Information request log 2022

 

Find out more in the FOI Publication Scheme.

 

What if I am not satisfied with the decision on my FOI request?

If you are not happy with the decision made or you are denied access to information that you feel you should receive, you may ask BIM for an internal review by a more senior officer. They will inform you of the result of the review within three weeks. A request for an internal review should be sent to the FOI Officer at the contact details above.

If you are not happy with the outcome of the internal review, you can ask for a review by the Information Commissioner.

 

What if I am not satisfied with the decision on internal review?

You may appeal the decision within six months by writing to the Office of the Information Commissioner. If you make an appeal the Information Commissioner will investigate and consider the matter and issue a fresh decision. All appeals should be addressed to:

The Information Commissioner
18 Lower Leeson Street
Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 639 5689
Lo-call: 1890 22 30 30
Fax: +353 1 639 5674
E-mail: info@oic.ie

 

Can I get help in making a request?

Yes. If you require any help, the FOI Officer in BIM will be happy to assist you in the formulation of your request.