Access to Information on the Environment

The European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007, as amended, (the AIE Regulations), give legal rights to those seeking to access information on the environment from public authorities.

General Information

Subject to certain exceptions, information relating to the environment held by, or for, the HRB must be made available on request to any person.

The AIE Regulations provide a definition of environmental information and outline the manner in which requests for information may be submitted to public authorities. The AIE Regulations also provide for a formal appeals procedure in the event that a person is unhappy with a decision on their request.

How to make an AIE request

Applications for Access to Information on the Environment should be made to:

Lorna Purcell

Head of Governance

Health Research Board

67-72 Lower Mount Street

Dublin 2

Email: aie@hrb.ie

When making a request for information under the AIE Regulations, you are required to:

submit it in writing or electronic form (aie@hrb.ie);
state that the application is being made under the AIE Regulations;
provide your contact details;
state, in terms that are as specific as possible, the environmental information required; and
specify the form and manner of access desired.

Normally you will be notified of the decision on your request within one month of its receipt.

What can I do if I am unhappy with a decision on my request?

If you consider that your original request for environmental information was refused wholly or partially or was otherwise not properly dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the AIE Regulations, you may request an internal review of that decision, in whole or part. Your internal review request should be made within one month of receipt of the HRB’s decision, or the date on which the HRB’s decision was required to be notified to you.

The internal reviewer will be of the same or higher rank that the original HRB decision-maker and you will be notified of the internal review decision within one month of receipt of your request for internal review.

If you are unhappy with the internal review decision, you may appeal to the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCEI) against the HRB’s decision. Your request should be made to the OCEI within one month of receiving the HRB’s internal review decision, or the date on which the HRB’s internal review decision was required to be notified to you. Further information on submitting an appeal to the OCEI is available her e.

Fees and Charges

There is no initial fee for making a request or access to environmental information under the AIE Regulations. There is also no fee for applying to the HRB for an internal review.

Further, the HRB may not charge for access to registers or lists of environmental information or for the examination of such information in situ.

Queries

If you have any queries please contact aie@hrb.ie