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What is Access to Information on the Environment?
The Access to information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations give citizens the right to access Environmental Information held by, or for, BIM and other Public Authorities. A decision on your request must normally be made as soon as possible but at the latest one month from the date of receipt of the request.
What can I ask for?
You can ask for Environmental Information held by, or for, BIM. Environmental Information is defined in the AIE Regulations and determines what is available under the AIE Regulations.
What is the definition of Environmental Information?
The AIE Regulations provide a definition of environmental information and outline the manner in which requests for information should be made to BIM. Environmental Information can be held in any material form including electronic, written, visual or aural.
The AIE Regulations do not apply to Environmental Information that is required to be made available under any other statutory provision.
Information that does not come within the scope of the definition of Environmental Information, and which is not already publicly available, as outlined above, may be requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2014.
How do I make an AIE request?
Email the AIE Officer at foi@bim.ie or write to:
AIE Officer
Bord Iascaigh Mhara
PO Box 12
Crofton Rd
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
+353 1 2144 100
Or send an email to foi@bim.ie.
In your correspondence you should:
- State that your request is being made under the AIE Regulations,
- Give your name, address and any other relevant contact details,
- Being as specific as possible, tell us what environmental information you require and in what preferred format.
We will acknowledge the request within two weeks, and will generally make a decision on the request within four weeks, or eight weeks in certain cases. If we do not respond within four weeks the decision is deemed to have been refused and the requester can proceed to the review stage.
The process for dealing with your request is set out in BIM’ Access to Information on the Environment Internal Procedures.
Assistance in Making Requests
A guide to the functions of, and records held by BIM may be found in the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
If you have any queries the AIE Officer may be contacted by telephone at +353 1 2144 100
or emailed at foi@bim.ie
What if I am not satisfied with the decision on my Environmental Information request?
You may seek an internal review of the decision from BIM who will designate a person unconnected with the original decision whose rank is the same as, or higher than, that of the original decision-maker to review the decision. Applications for review of a decision on a request must be made within four weeks, and should be addressed to:
AIE Officer
Bord Iascaigh Mhara
PO Box 12
Crofton Rd
Dun Laoghaire
Co. Dublin
+353 1 2144 100
Or send an email to foi@bim.ie.
No fee will be charged for the internal review process. The review must be completed by the Institute within one month. If the requester is still unhappy with the decision, he or she has the right of appeal the decision to the Commissioner for Environmental Information. The holder of the office of Commissioner for Environment Information shall be the person who, for the time being, holds the office of Information Commissioner under the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 and 2003. The Information Commissioner may be reached as follows:
Office of the Information Commissioner,
18 Lower Leeson Street,
Dublin 2.
E-mail: info@oic.ie
+ 353 1 639 5689
Is there a charge for getting Environmental Information under the AIE Regulations?
There is no initial fee required when lodging a request for information under AIE. However, in line with the Regulations, BIM may charge a fee when it makes available environmental information in accordance with these Regulations, provided that the fee is reasonable. BIM will not charge a fee for access to any public registers or lists of environmental information pursuant to Article 5(1)(d). BIM will not charge a fee for the examination in situ of information requested. Where BIM charges a fee, we will make available a list of fees charged, information on how they are calculated and the circumstances under which they may be waived. No fee will be charged for the internal review process.
Further Information
Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Request Log: