Access to Information on the Environment (AIE)

The Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) Regulations 2007 to 2018 gives citizens the right to access information on the environment from public authorities.

Please state in your letter that your request is submitted under the AIE Regulations 2007-2018.

If you wish to request access to environmental information held by the Citizens Information Board, please email your request to FOI@ciboard.ie

A request must state that it is being made under the AIE Regulations.

CIB will notify you of the decision on your request within one month of receiving it.

On receipt of an AIE request, CIB will issue you with an acknowledgement letter outlining the date the request was received and the latest date by which a decision will be issued.

There is no fee to make a request under AIE Regulations. However, the regulations do allow a public authority to charge a reasonable fee for the cost of supplying the environmental information.

CIB has set the following charges:

search, retrieval and copying of records: €20 per hour

photocopy: €0.04 per sheet

CD Rom: €10

Details of any charges that apply will be advised in the final decision letter.

Please note that the fee may be waived where the cost is estimated at less than €100.

We may also disregard charges if the record contains only personal information and if, having regard to the means of the requester, it would not be reasonable to apply one.

You can request an internal review of the decision if your request for environmental information has been either wholly or partially refused, or if you believe it has not been dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the AIE Regulations. You should make this request for an internal review within one month of receiving the final decision. Requests for internal reviews should be submitted to FOI@Ciboard.ie

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the internal review, you may ask the Office of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (OCEI) to review the matter. You should request an appeal to the OCEI within one month of receiving the decision of the internal review.

Further general information on the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 – 2018, including background information on the legislation, useful publications and links to other relevant bodies is available in the AIE section of the website of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.