Information not so 'free' after all
I have read with interest many letters and articles in your paper concerning the Freedom of Information Act in Ireland.
Initially many were positive but as time passed and the Act was amended in 2003, many began to express frustration with high fees and restrictive interpretations of the Act by public bodies.
Recently I received the most bizarre and Kafkaesque Freedom of Information response from Kildare Co Council.
Incredibly, the council replied to a Freedom of Information request and refused me access to a letter that they had written to me some months before.
Fascinated by why they would refuse to grant me access to a letter that they had written to me only recently, I opened my files and dug out the offending item.
I am now fully informed of the contents of this letter that they initially wrote to me and subsequently refused me access to under the Freedom of Information Act.
I wrote to the council asking for some explanation for this ridiculous situation and have received no response.
Joseph Bergin
Naas, Co Kildare
