Make an AIE request to this office

AIE applications should be made to:

Information Officer
Office of the Ombudsman,
6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773.

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

state that the application is being made under AIE Regulations and send it in writing to the address above or email it to info @ombudsman.ie
provide your contact details
state, in terms that are as specific as possible, the environmental information required, and 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 believe that your request for environmental information was refused (fully or in part) or was not properly handled in line with AIE Regulations, you may request that our office carry out an internal review of the decision in part or in whole. You must request this review within one month of receiving a decision. The review will be carried out by a more senior member of staff.

No fee will be charged for the internal review process.

Within one month of receiving your review request, we will write to you to inform you of the decision and the reason for the decision. We will also advise you of your right of appeal to the commissioner for environmental information, including the time limits and fees associated with such an appeal.

Fees

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

The office has set these fees as follows:

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 applies to information supplied on CD-ROM

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

When will the office supply information free of charge?

Where the cost is estimated at less than €10.00, fees in respect of supplying information may be set aside
If you can view the required documents on site at this office, there will be no charge for accessing these records – however, this is separate to the charges noted above
Electronic access can be provided to you free of charge via email – however, this is separate to the charges noted above

Assistance in making requests

A publication scheme under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, which includes a guide to the functions of this office and to records held by it, is available on our website. If you have any queries, the information officer can be contacted by phone at +353 639 5600 or emailed at [email protected]

Information point

This website is an information point for the purpose of the AIE directive. If you require additional environmental information, you may send an AIE request or contact the information officer 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 website of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government www.environ.ie/en/Environment/AccesstoInformationontheEnvironment.