Making a Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act, 1997 (FOI) you have a right to apply for access to information which is not normally available to the public.
You have a right to:access (subject to the provisions of the FOI Act) to records held by the Probation Service; have personal information about yourself which is held by the Probation Service corrected where it is - incorrect, not complete or is misleading; and access to the reasons for decisions made by the Probation Service directly which affect you.
The following are the records which come within the range of the Actall records held by the Probation Service which have personal information about you; all other records created by the Probation Service since the commencement date of the Act - that is 21 April 1998 - (subject to the limitations of the Act); andany other record which is necessary to help understand a current record.
The Probation Service must respond to the request within 4 weeks.
Exemptions
Some information is exempt from disclosure under the FOI Act. Examples include: Information about individuals protected under the Data Protection Act; Information that is readily available by other means; and Information that would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of the Probation and Welfare Service
Data Protection Act
The Data Protection Acts (1998 and 2003) relates to information that the Probation Service hold about individuals. It governs the type of information that we can hold and who we can disclose it to. In general we must make sure that the information that we hold is:relevant, accurate and up to date; held only for the reasons that it's collected; andnot kept for longer than necessary and not excessive.
Requests for Information from the Probation Service
An application for information under the FOI Act should be addressed to:
Freedom of Information Officer,
FOI Unit,
The Probation Service,
Haymarket,
Smithfield,
Dublin 7.
Tel. No. 01-817 3600
Alternatively email: foi@probation.ie
You must make your applications in writing and you must say that you want the information under the Freedom of Information Act.
If information is desired in a particular form, for example, photocopy, computer disc, etc. this should also be mentioned in the application. You must give as much detail as possible to identify the record and to help with the request. You should give a day-time telephone number so that you can be contacted if necessary.
The applicant has the right to seek an internal review of any decision and can also apply to the Information Commissioner for a complete review of the case if s/he is not happy with the result of that review. English
