Access to Information on the Environment

Make a Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Request

You can make an AIE request by writing or emailing the Wexford County Council FOI Office

The Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations give members of the public the right to access Environmental Information held by, or for, Public Authorities, including Wexford County Council.

A request for Environmental Information shall, under Article 6. (1) of the above Regulations be made as follows:-

(a) be made in writing or electronic form,

(b) state that the request is made under these Regulations,

(d) state, in terms that are as specific as possible, the environmental information that is the subject of the request, and

(e) if the applicant desires access to environmental information in a particular form or manner, specify the form of manner of
access desired.

What is Environmental Information and what is available under the Regulations?

Environmental Information is defined as follows: any information in written, visual, aural, electronic or any other material form on—

(a) the state of the elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites including wetlands, coastal and marine areas, biological diversity and its components, including genetically modified organisms and the interaction among these elements,

(b) factors, such as substances, energy, noise, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment,

(c) measures (including administrative measures), such as policies, legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements, and activities affecting or likely to affect the elements and factors referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements,

(d) reports on the implementation of environmental legislation,

(e) cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to in paragraph (c), and

(f) the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the food chain, where relevant, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures inasmuch as they are, or may be, affected by the state of the elements of the environment referred to in paragraph (a) or, through those elements, by any of the matters referred to in paragraphs (b) and (c);

What Environmental Information is NOT available under the AIE Regulations

The AIE Regulations do not apply to Environmental Information that is required to be made available under any other legislation.

Information that does not come within the scope of the definition of Environmental Information, and which is not already publicly available, can be requested under the Freedom of Information Acts.

Decision on a Request

A decision on a request may be to

Grant,
Part grant or
Refuse the information requested.

This will normally be made within one month of receipt of the request. This period can be extended due to the complexity / volume of information sought.

Refusals: The Regulations set out mandatory and discretionary grounds for a refusal of information. These will be specified in writing to you if applicable.

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the decision on your request, there is a comprehensive appeals system available to challenge the decision.

1. You may first ask for an internal review of the original decision by a more senior officer of Wexford County Council. Requests for an Internal Review must be made to Wexford County Council within one month of receipt of the original decision.
Requests for an Internal Review should be submitted to the Wexford County Council Freedom of Information Office.

2. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may ask the Commissioner for Environmental Information to review the matter.

Costs for AIE

No fees are payable for the making of a Request or an Internal Review under the AIE Regulations.

Other Charges are as follows;
€0.04 per photocopy
€20.95 per hour for supply of information
Waiver. A fee in respect of search and retrieval and photocopying may be waived where the cost is estimated at less than €10.

Appeals to the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information do carry a fee, details are available on the Commissioner for Environmental Information website.

Wexford County Council AIE Statistics.

AIE Stats 2022
AIE Stats 2021
AIE Stats 2020
AIE Stats 2019
AIE Stats 2018
AIE Stats 2017
AIE Stats 2016
AIE Stats 2015
AIE Stats 2014