Information on the Environment

How Do I Make an AIE Request to Teagasc?

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

Pat Murphy,
AIE Information Officer,
Teagasc,
Johnstown Castle,
Wexford

When making a request for information under the Access to Information on the Environment Regulations you are required to:

• state that the application is being made under the AIE Regulations and submit it in writing or electronic form (aie@teagasc.ie),
• 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 1 month of its receipt.

Definition of Environmental Information

 The AIE Regulations define environmental information as:

 “any information in written, visual, aural, electronic or any other material form on—

• 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,
• 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,
• 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 (1) and (2) as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements,
• reports on the implementation of environmental legislation,
• cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to in paragraph (3), and
• 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 (1) or, through those elements, by any of the matters referred to in paragraphs (2) and (3);”

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, not later than one month following the receipt of the decision from Teagasc, request that Teagasc carry out an internal review of the decision in part or in whole.

No fee will be charged for the internal review process.

A written outcome of the review informing you of the decision, the reason for the decision and advising you of your right of appeal to the Commissioner for Environmental Information, including the time limits and fees associated with such an appeal, will be issued to you within one month of the date of receipt of the request.

Fees

As provided for in the AIE Regulations, there is no initial fee required when lodging a request for information under AIE to Teagasc. A public authority may however, charge a reasonable fee for supplying environmental information in accordance with the Regulations.

Teagasc has set these fees as follows:

• There is no fee to make a request,
• Search, retrieval and copying of records: €20.00 per hour. However, the first 7 hours are free,
• If an applicant requires hard copies there may be a fee of €0.04 per sheet depending on the volume of information contained in the request
• A charge of 10.16 euro applies to the provision of information on CD-ROM
• There will be no charge for transmitting data electronically by Email,
• Details of any charges that apply will be advised in the final decision letter,
• Charges will be disregarded if the record contains only personal information.

Details of charges, if any, will be advised in the final decision letter.

How will Teagasc supply information free of charge?

• It should be noted that fees in respect of supplying information, may be waived where the cost is estimated at less than 10.00 euro.
• Where requesters are in a position to view the required documents from the Teagasc website there will be no charge for accessing these records however this is separate to the charges noted above.

Assistance in Making Requests

Guide to the Functions of and Records held by the Teagasc are available from our FOI Manual.

If you have any queries you can contact the AIE Information Officer (Pat Murphy) by telephone at +353 076-1113355 or email at aie@teagasc.ie

Information Point

This website is an information point for the purpose of the AIE Directive. If you require further environmental information than that which is provided on the website, you may submit an AIE request or contact the AIE Unit, as outlined above.

Further Information

Further general information on the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 - 2011 including background information on the legislation, useful publications and links to other relevant bodies is available in the AIE section of the Department’s website.