Press release
Freedom Of Information requests to public bodies rise by 11%
From Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC)
Published on
Last updated on
From Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC)
Published on
Last updated on
41,660 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests were made to public bodies, including government departments, health sector bodies and local authorities, in 2024 - an increase of 11% on 2023. Speaking today [3 July 2025] on the publication of his annual report for 2024, the Information Commissioner, Ger Deering, said that his Office, which reviews decisions made by public bodies under the FOI Act, saw a 16% rise in applications for review received last year.
The FOI Act provides a number of rights for the public including a right to access records held by public bodies. The number of FOI requests made in 2024 is the highest since a new FOI Act was introduced in 2014, and is up 49% since 2015.
The HSE received the most FOI requests in 2024 (13,310) with the Department of Social Protection receiving 2,618 requests.
Most FOI requests received by public bodies in 2024: Top 4 bodies
| Public body | 2024 | Increase on 2023 | |
| HSE | 13,310 | +13% | |
| Dept. of Social Protection | 2,618 | +6% | |
| TUSLA - Child & Family Agency | 1,401 | +5% | |
| Dept. of Justice | 1,216 | +29% |
The Office of the Information Commissioner received 772 applications to review decisions made by public bodies under the FOI Act in 2024 - mostly involving refusals of access to records. The Office also completed the highest number of reviews (521) since the introduction of the FOI Act 2014 (an increase of 11% on 2023).
Applications for review accepted by the Information Commissioner in 2024: Top 4 bodies
| Public Body | 2024 | |
| HSE | 129 | |
| Dept. of Children Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth | 51 | |
| Department of Justice | 36 | |
| Tusla (Child and Family Agency) | 21 |
The Information Commissioner’s annual report 2024 describes some notable decisions made by his Office last year:
An FOI request was made to Limerick City and County Council for records relating to the Council’s resurfacing of a private road as part of the Local Improvement Scheme (LIS). The LIS provides funding to help local authorities carry out improvement works on certain private and non-publicly maintained roads. Local authorities are responsible for the selection and prioritisation of eligible roads. A local contribution of the cost of the project is payable by the grant applicant. The Council refused access to the records on the ground that they contained third party personal information and the decision was appealed to the Information Commissioner.
The Commissioner found that there was a significant public interest in the disclosure of information such as the basis on which a local authority decides that any particular LIS application is eligible for inclusion, the basis on which projects are included in any one year, the details of the works undertaken and the extent of the use of public monies on such projects. He found that the disclosure of such information would, among other things, serve as a significant aid to ensuring effective oversight of public expenditure on LIS schemes, to ensuring the public body obtains value for money, to preventing fraud and corruption, to preventing the waste or misuse of public funds, and to ensuring that all LIS applicants are treated fairly. He granted access to the majority of the records.
(See page 40 of the Information Commissioner’s Annual Report 2024.
Full text of decision on www.oic.ie - Case OIC-133560)
The FOI Act applies to RTÉ only in respect of certain of its functions. Records relating to its editorial decision-making function are excluded. During 2024, the Information Commissioner dealt with several cases where RTÉ refused details of expenditure/costs on the ground that the records related to its “programme related functions”. In one such case, the Information Commissioner directed RTÉ to release records relating to the cost of sending staff to cover the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The records included the costs of travel, accommodation and meals for staff covering the event.
The Commissioner found that the records contained information on the incurring and payment of costs by RTÉ in respect of the procurement of goods and/or services and that it was not information concerning the editorial decision-making process concerning programme or programme schedule content. He directed their release.
(See page 48 of the Information Commissioner’s annual report for 2024.
Full text of decision on www.oic.ie - Case OIC-145266)
Under the FOI Act, the applicant sought details of where a named Garda officer had been stationed over a number of years. She had concerns over how a member of her family had been investigated by the Garda and said she needed the information to help her bring a judicial review of the Garda investigation.
When the case came before the Information Commissioner, he noted that the records sought related to the employment history of the Garda. While not ‘highly sensitive’ information it amounted to the officer’s personal information. In considering whether there was a public interest in granting access to the information the Commissioner noted that access to the record would not shed any light on any light on how the investigation was conducted. He found that the public interest in granting the request did not, on balance, outweigh the public interest in protecting third party privacy rights.
(See page 43 of the Information Commissioner’s Annual Report 2024.
Full text of decision on www.oic.ie - Case OIC-145129)
The Information Commissioner’s annual report for 2024 is available at Annual reports
END
Media Queries:
Dave Nutley
Head of Communications
Office of the Information Commissioner
Ph: 086 412 0240
Email: david.nutley@ombudsman.ie