Freedom of Information

Routinely Available Information

The FOI Act is designed to facilitate access to information held by public bodies which is not routinely available. TII makes a wide variety of information routinely available to the public in relation to its functions, activities and schemes. Our website and extensive range of publications afford access to such information and can be availed of without recourse to the FOI Act.

Exemptions

The FOI Act asserts the right of every person to obtain access to official information to the greatest extent possible. There are, however, certain types of information which are exempt from release under the Act, consistent with the public interest and the right to privacy of individuals. Among these exemptions are records relating to:

• Government meetings;
• Law enforcement and security;
• Confidential and commercially sensitive information;
• Personal information (other than information relating to the person making the request.)

Requests may also be refused if they are deemed voluminous or unclear, but public bodies are required under the Act to assist the requester in trying to overcome these issues.

Publication Scheme

TII has prepared and published a Publication Scheme in accordance with Section 8 of the Act. The Scheme, which provides comprehensive information in relation to the roles, functions and types of records and information we hold, has been drafted in conformity with the Model Publication Scheme and Guidelines issued by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Making an FOI Request

Requests under the Freedom of Information Act should be made in writing to:

Alternatively, requests may be forwarded to us by email to FOI@tii.ie.

The FOI request form can be downloaded here.

You should clearly indicate that the request is being made under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Please be as specific as possible when detailing your request so as to enable the staff of TII to process your application. Also, please include a daytime contact telephone number so that we can contact you should any clarification be required in relation to your request.

In accordance with the provisions of the Act, FOI requests are normally responded to within four weeks of receipt.

Charges

Section 27 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides for the application by FOI bodies of certain fees and charges. The current fees/charges are as follows.

* There are no fees where the FOI request is for the personal records of the requester or where the appeal relates to a decision by a public body to charge a fee or deposit for search and retrieval (see below) or a fee or deposit of a specific amount.

** Reduced fees apply to a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder, as well as to third parties who appeal a decision to release their information on public interest grounds.

Payment should be made by way of cheque made payable to “Transport Infrastructure Ireland” (for queries from the public) or by electronic funds transfer (for queries from businesses).  Details of the electronic funds transfer are available from our Finance Unit, email: accountspayable@tii.ie.

Search and Retrieval

Under Section 27 of the FOI Act, a public body shall apply charges for the time spent finding and retrieving records and for any copying costs incurred in providing the requester with the material requested. Normally, such charges are not applied in respect of personal records, except where a large number of records are involved.

Search and retrieval costs are charged at €20 per person per hour, subject to the following:

• No charge may be applied if the search and retrieval time takes less than 5 hours (i.e. cost of €100 or less).
• If the charge exceeds €100, full fees apply, subject to a maximum fee of €500, as set out in the following bullet.
• The amount that a public body may charge for search and retrieval is capped at €500. However, if the estimated cost would exceed €700 (i.e. 35 hours), the FOI body can refuse to process the request unless the requester is prepared to refine the request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below the €700 limit.

Copies of Records

The following charges apply for copying records:

• €0.04 per sheet for a photocopy.
• €10 for a CD-ROM.

Internal Review

You may appeal a decision issued by TII in response to an FOI request by writing to Regulatory and Administration, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Parkgate Business Centre, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, D08 DK10, seeking an Internal Review of the matter. As outlined above, a fee of €30 (€10 for medical card holders) normally applies for such an appeal. 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.

A request for an internal review should normally be made within four weeks from the date of our response (late appeals may be permitted in certain circumstances). The internal review process involves a complete reconsideration of the matter by a more senior member of staff of TII than the original decision-maker and a decision will normally be communicated to you within 3 weeks.

Appeal to the Information Commissioner

If you are dissatisfied with the decision following the Internal Review process, you may appeal the decision within six months by writing to the Office of the Information Commissioner. The Information Commissioner will fully investigate and consider the matter before issuing a decision. Appeals should be addressed to: