The number of requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act dropped by almost a third for the first full year since charges were introduced, a report showed today.
The Department of Finance's seventh annual report on Freedom of Information statistics showed there had been a total of 12,597 applications in 2004, compared to 18,443 in 2003. Fees for obtaining information under the Act were introduced on July 7 th, 2003.
Today's report also showed the percentage of requests made by journalists had almost halved, down to 7 per cent from 13 per cent in 2003, while the percentage of requests coming from the public had increased from 71 per cent to 77 per cent.
Requests from businesses accounted for 8 per cent of the total - down from 9 per cent last year - while members of staff of public bodies made 7 per cent of the applications, compared to 5 per cent last year.
Just 1 per cent of requests came from public representatives, down from 2 per cent in 2003.
The percentage of applications by people seeking personal information about themselves rose again last year, up to 77 per cent from 71 per cent in 2003, and 69 per cent in 2002.
But the number of requests for non-personal information more than halved, dropping from 7,216 in 2003 to 3,189 last year.
More than 81 per cent of requests were fully or partly granted, the statistics published today revealed.
Following the launch of the report, the Green Party criticised the Government for the Freedom of Information Act amendment which introduced the fees.
"This Government is behaving shamefully in not properly acknowledging the extent to which its amendments have demolished Irish citizen rights to information," finance spokesman Dan Boyle said.
Mr Boyle accused the Government of trying to make itself less accountable to the public by bringing in the charges.
"In the light of these figures, the Green Party is more intent than ever, when in Government after the next general election, to repeal the damaging amendment to the Freedom of Information Act," he said.